Xenosaga III: My Final Heaven
by Also Sprach Mina
Summary: One year after the events of Xenosaga Episode II, Shane now lives a hectic life filled with military training and a singing career to boot. She begins to have dreams of the upcoming events along with a young girl invading her dreams. Full summary inside.
1. Memories of Michtam: A Nightmare

**Prologue: Memories of Michtam -- A Nightmare**

**Summary**: One year after the events of Xenosaga Episode II, Shane now lives a hectic life filled with military training and a singing career to boot. She begins to have dreams of the upcoming events along with a young girl invading her dreams. But this girl isn't Rukia, but someone else. Just who is she and how is Shane connected to Shion? Final part of the Shane/Rukia story.

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****ASM**: So, chaos-kun, having fun with Shane-san?

**chaos**: It's a very...interesting experience, Also.

**ASM**: (cackles) Yup, yup. So, wanna do the disclaimer thingy?

**chaos**: ...Okay. _Also Sprach Mina_ does not own the Xenosaga series. She only owns Shane, Rukia, and the new female OC. You know this, I know this, and everyone knows too.

**ASM**: Thank you. :3 Enjoy!

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This is a story of a young boy who had gone through a very traumatic experience. Wanna hear that story? It'll scare you. ...Yeah? Alright then, whatever you say...

Picture it: T.C. 4747 Planet Michtam, the city completely in ruins as a building showed a light that reached into the sky from the top; hordes of Gnosis attacking the area and its people. Blood and flames frickin' _**everywhere**_. A mother and her blue-haired son ran quickly to get away from the area; the woman holding onto her son's hand tightly. Then, the mother and her ran to a wrecked ship with an emergency escape pod still intact.

As they embraced, the mother gave her necklace to the blue-haired boy after she put him in the pod, strapping him in. The cockpit of the escape pod closed on him (no, the door closed) as he pounded his small hands desperately on the window towards his mother. The mother and the son placed their hands on either side of the window in the same place only to have the boy watch his mother suddenly mutate into a horrendous creature. With the boy crying out for his mother, the escape pod took off and out of the Planet Michtam's orbital space...

There. That was the story. Sadistic little monkey, ain't I? Are you scared yet? ..No? Feh, I tried. ...What about the kid? The fuck you mean "what happened to him?" I know what happened, but I won't tell you. I'll only say this: that boy in the story?

Let's just say he lived.

**Prologue: End.****

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****Hehehe, pretty random prologue, huh? This was told from Shane's perspective when she first played the third Xenosaga game. ..I think I thought of this too when I saw the scene. Anyway, R&R! ;3 PS: Got any ideas for the unnamed female OC? As in, her name?**


	2. Where the Saint Sleeps

**Chapter One: Where the Saint Sleeps**

**ASM**: DISCLAIMER TIME!! X3

**Shane**: The caffine's gone to her head...

**Shion**: ...It'll run out soon.

**ASM**: (points to Shion) Disclaimer, nao.

**Shion**: _Also Sprach Mina_ doesn't own Xenosaga; only Shane, Rukia, and the unamed female OC. Enjoy.

**A/N**: This will be my 3nd Xenosaga fic (Whee! throws up confetti) and will be the last story of the Shane/Rukia personas (maybe and the longest ). But I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and favorited the two other stories since I joined . :D This story will surprise you along with the introduction of a new female OC that is connected to both Shane, Rukia, Shion, chaos, and KOS-MOS in some way. But I won't tell...read on to find out! --ASM**

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**Inside of an unknown cavern--dark and damp with a rock face that resembled a cross--the Red Testament stood near an opened stone casket as it glowed inside with a soft white light. He looked down at the open casket then narrowed his eyes to glance over behind him to see the Blue Testament appear behind him. "Looks like things are going smoothly," he said the White and Black Testaments appearing as well. The hooded man in red didn't reply to the other Testament; only stayed quiet and stared at the casket.

"Tch. You're as friendly as ever." The Blue Testament walked over to the Red Testament while shrugging his shoulders lightly along with his head. He looked down to the casket then looked at the hooded man in red. "Well, you sure are pulling out the big guns. Do we really need this thing?"

"The space-time anomaly fifteen years ago took place in an incomplete fashion. We must correct the errors," the Red Testament told the other man who scoffed at his response. "So, you knew all along, huh? You're one scary guy. I bet you can't wait to see the look on her face when she finally knows everything." The hooded man in red immediately went silence as the Blue Testament chuckled lightly. "So, this is our princess?" he asked. He leaned over to take a few sniffs from the inside of the casket, a grin coming over his concealed face.

"She smells good. I've fallen in love already."

**Chapter 1: End****

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****I know...short chapter. Curse you, YouTube and your means of keeping stuffs together! :0 R&R.**


	3. Dogfight

**Chapter Two: Dogfight**

Somewhere in the aerial part of Second Miltia, the E.S. Dinah was flying at top speed in an attempt to get away from the macrophages as the machines fired their lasers at the silver mecha, causing mini explosions near the buildings and along the flight path of the mecha. Shion gritted her teeth, looking back at the orange/yellow/black mechas flying at them with an annoyed look on her face. "Miyuki!" she yelled in an annoyed voice. "You didn't tell me that they had macrophages deployed! What the _**hell**_ have you been doing?!" The brunette ended her sentence by kicking the head cushion of the second seat below hers as Miyuki held the back of her head, a laser hitting the shield while making the Dinah shake.

"Take it easy! I checked it out the best I could. It's not my fault!" she said in an apoligetic voice.

The Dinah continued to fly at increasing speeds while passing through various areas, the macrophages hot on their tail. "Look, Shion! Three more interceptors just appeared out of nowhere!" Shion tightened her grip on the controls, narrowing her eyes. "Then concentrate on supporting me instead of making excuses!" The E.S. Dinah accelerated away from the scene while the mechas behind the silver A.M.W.S. chased after them. As the macrophages tried to continue their interception, an incoming blue laser attack instantly destroyed the macrophages that were chasing them. Suddenly, another E.S.--this one a black and neon purple color--appeared at the scene flying behind the Dinah.

"You two make a fine pair," the pilot of the black mecha--obviously a female--said with a slight laugh. "Doctus!" Shion and Miyuki looked up at the black mecha while inside the female pilot now named Doctus smirked lightly then glanced down at the pilot below her. "Three at seven o'clock. You got it?" The male pilot nodded his orange-colored hair. "Yeah, I'm on it," Canaan told her.

The black E.S. readied their weapons, separating from the Dinah's fight path. The black mecha immediately fired lasers along with disk shots at the macrophages, destroying a bunch of them. The two E.S.s then flew into a tunnel; more macrophages intercepting them. Shion turned her head to look back at the enemy mecha that followed her only to see the black mecha chased the macrophage and destroyed it with a tackle against one of the tunnel's over head pillars. Soon, the two E.S.s flew towards a tower, landing on the metal surface of the floor. Miyuki jumped out of the Dinah's cockpit with Shion as she turned to give the black mecha a thumbs-up. "That was incredible, Canaan! The way you maneuvered that A.M.W.S. was unbelievable!" she said with a wide grin. She wore a purple suit with a small dark purple backpack on her back.

"We don't have time for that kind of thing, Miyuki. Has anything come up on the scanner yet?" The brunette wore the same suit, holding her connection gear and turning to face the Dinah, dismissing the large mecha. Canaan had disembarked from the black mecha, walking over to the two brown-haired women. "I hope you understand what we're after poses a considerable threat to Vector," he said. "I'd appreciate you taking the situation more seriously."

"Exactly. I don't care if you get yourself killed. Just don't take us down with you." Shion, Canaan, and Miyuki looked up at the black mecha as the girl whined. "All right, all right, fine! Why's everyone picking on me?" The brunette closed her blue-green eyes, sighing softly then opened them again to look at the brown-haired girl. "Well? Is this it, Miyuki?" she asked. Miyuki looked at a holographic device in her hand while muttering to herself. "Confirming coordinates...Yep, perfect!" the brown-haired girl exclaimed. "No doubt about it. This is Vector's S-Line Division."

"Then the top secret data we want is just ahead."

"I'll handle backup. You three take care of the rest," Doctus told them over the intercom of her black mecha. Miyuki looked up at the mecha with a somewhat confused look on her face. "You're not gonna help, Doctus?" Shion growled lightly as the brown-haired girl held her head, yelping slightly. "Don't depend on others to do everything for you!"

"_Usus magister est optimus_." With that said, Doctus turned on the boosters of the black mecha and flew away from the scene while the 3 others watched.

**Chapter 2: End****

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****Another short chapter. Is it just me or did Shion get **_**just**_** a bit bitchy? Miyuki's...god, I wanted to hurt her. :( And Canaan...well, he's just Canaan. :3 I'm afraid this will be longer than the last two...o.o; R&R.**


	4. Infiltrating the UMN

**Chapter Three: Infiltrating the UMN**

After the black E.S. left, Canaan turned his head to the two women with the same look he had on his face ever since they met. "Hurry. I want to be as far from here as possible when our pursuit arrives," he told them as Miyuki sighed. "I know, I know." Shion and the orange-haired man began to walk away until the brown-haired girl walked up in front of them. "Oh, just a sec you two. I forgot to tell you, but in order to successfully carry out this mission… I made a note of the information you should know ahead of time," she told them. "Please access the database. The database is located here." The two looked at each other and nodded to Miyuki.

**(A/N: Short explaination since I'm too lazy to explain it. In other words, everything that's happened after Xenosaga II is all gathered there. The end. :P)**

"New information is automatically added to the database. You should check it out frequently."

"Not bad. You actually came prepared," the brunette said with a small smile. "I know! Actually, I wanted to add a lot more data files to it. But I didn't think even you could process all of them, so I stopped. I'll send the rest to you after this mission is over. There're quite a few, so I'll send them in chunks." Canaan looked at the two women then cleared his throat. "...Let's go."

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Shion along with the orange-haired man and Miyuki ran towards the several sliding doors which opened once she got close enough with Canaan and Miyuki. The small 3-person group. They stopped to see gates that were in the way of the entrance. "Hmm…I can't go any further," the brunette said. "It's probably faster to just destroy this than to find another route." Shion's group destroyed the gates that blocked their way and they move on to the next area. Upon arrival, the group saw two spinning objects. The group destroyed the spinning objects and moved on inside. Then, the group approached another spinning object with a control panel next to it.

_I guess I need to get each key plate into the correct socket in order to disengage the security. I better think about the order I'll destroy the objects. I guess this console will allow me to reset it, even if I messed up._

With that in mind, the group managed to solve the puzzle by aligning the green and red objects from the spinning objects into its insertion slot. "Alright! Let's keep going," Miyuki yelled while Canaan and Shion looked at her with a "no shit" look on their faces. The group moved on to the next area where Shion noticed a red door; a yellow circle with a black triangle in the center of the circle on the front of the door.

_This is a Segment Address. I guess they exist even here. But I can't open this without the decoder associated with it. Oh, well._

In the next area, the group walked into a large room where pillars of different colors--red, blue, green, and white--floated around the circular floow which flashed when the colored pillars came around it. So this is the last security checkpoint for Sector 1. According to Miyuki, this security is disengaged by color input, Shion thought. The group solved the puzzle by destroying the correspondent colored tiles as the floor was activated, bringing down a larger circle completing the floor while Miyuki did a little victory dance; Canaan resisting the urge to hit her. "All right! Let's go to the next sector." After moving around and grabbing some items, the group made their way to the teleporter which sent them to the next area as they vanished in a burst of blue light.

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Arriving inside the next area, the group looked around to see several machines pacing the pathways of the new area. "There's a guard system. Well, no time for being a coward. We better get in contact and destroy it before it notices us!" The group fought their way through 3 guard systems as they moved on to the next area, eventually making their way to another sector. "So this is Sector 3," Shion said looking around the large area. Large pillars stood in the distance while some were low to the ground...or whatever ground that was down the black abyss; blue and red-violet stepping 'stones' were laid out across Sector 3's area. "Vector's S-Line Division is comprised of five sectors, so I guess we're at the halfway point. Let's hurry!"

As the group made their way through Sector 3 while finding hidden items and fighting enemies, the group eventually arrived to the teleporter leading to the next area..which would have lead to blindness. The group transported to an area set to a bright yellow/orange theme with brown mixed it with it. The group walked past the gate in front of them only to have it suddenely close shut behind them. Ahead of the group was a guard system that paced back and forth in front of the next entrance.

_I'll have to go through Sector 4 to get to the main server room. There's no turning back!_

Shion approached an item, destroying it to pick up some Trap items (useful for hostile situations against enemies). The group fought against the enemies--while using traps to subdue the guard systems--in the sealed area. After the group finished of the last of the enemies, the sealed gates automatically opened as they took the teleporter to the next area.

The group arrived to stand in an open area which showed the open sky along with machines hovering in mid-air near a larger machine in the front. "We made it," Shion said looking around with Miyuki and Canaan. "Now's the hard part." The brunette walked to the main terminal in the center of the gravity-defying floor, pressing a button. "Second Miltia Main Server Room ahead. Access to the main server is currently restricted. All security must be disengaged in order to login." Shion moved to a teleporter on the left side as it sent her to another terminal that was on a circular platform.

"Disengaging primary security," an female voice said after Shion had pressed a button on the console; the machine in front compressing. The brunette waved to Canaan and teleported back via the teleporter where Miyuki was. The orange-haired man took the teleporter to the right where the second terminal was placed on another circular platform. He typed on the console, another female voice saying, "Disengaging second secondary security." Shion, Miyuki and Canaan regrouped as the brunette activated the main terminal.

"Logging in to the main server." Suddenly, the area from the distance with the mechanical parts formed into a much larger contraption. The group was then transported to Sector 5, the Main Server Room. Shion looked around the room--seemingly empty with a bridgeway and a balcony--then walked over to a terminal near the railing.

_We made it to Sector 5, Main Server Room. I wonder how much information is processed here. But this is only the local server for Miltia space. What exactly is the U.M.N. that's laid out throughout the star cluster? Oh, the current mission objective is to acquire the top secret data. Let's access it through this terminal._

The brunette then activated the terminal as large encased pillar-like capsules rise from the floor below. Shion backed up slightly, looking back at Miyuki. "Miyuki, keep watch." The brown-haired girl ran over to the railing, activating a hologram of the security system with her portable computer while Canaan used the terminal. "Canaan, please start the data backup," the former Vector employee ordered. "I'm already on it. Don't screw up, now that we've made it this far."

"I know, I know! But will this really expose Vector's crimes?" Miyuki asked Shion who looked at her with a questionable look.

"Miyuki, do you understand what this U.M.N. really is?" The brown-haired girl scratched her cheek lightly then looked at the brunette again. "Uh, it's a wide-area network system or something...right?"

"A wide-area information network system with non-local connections. Its characteristics enable warp travel and light speed communication," Canaan answered for her as he continued to type at the terminal. "An exemplary answer. But do you think that's really all there is to it?" The orange-haired man turned his head to glance at Shion with a confused look. "What do you mean?" She straightened up to begin her explaination. "A wide-area network that connects our star cluster. But who built it, and when? Who established the gate jump columns? For that matter, what division of Vector even handles the base theory development?"

Miyuki was baffled at what the brunette said as she bit her bottom lip. "It's, um…"

"Exactly. No one knows, because no one established it or built it. It was already there. We just use it as if we invented it." Canaan stopped using the terminal for a moment, turning to Shion with a frustrated look on his face. "That's nothing more than your own conjecture," he said in an almost angered tone. "I'll give you credit for your vivid imagination, but you have no proof." That said, he turned back to face the terminal and went back to the data back-up process. "He's right. Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions?" Miyuki asked. The brunette looked to the side with a sigh.

"I hope so. If I'm wrong, everyone can live in peace," Shion said narrowing her eyes some. "But we need to make sure. We need to know what they intend to accomplish with the U.M.N. What their ultimate goal is..."

**Chapter 3: End**

**ASM: Someone's a mad Canaan. :3 When I watched this cutscene, I was kinda...well, angry in a sense at Shion for the way she talked like she was all...**

**Jin: To put it bluntly...Shion just turned into a bitch and is taking all her PSMing fury on others. (gets slapped)**

**Shion: I was **_**not **_**PSMing. (sighs) R&R.**

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	5. Vector's Trap

**Chapter Four: Vector's Trap**

"Huh? Shion, there's something weird."

Shion lifted her head to look at Miyuki with a confused look on her face. ""Something"? I've told you time and again to make precise reports," the brunette told the girl who was hurriedly typing on her portable computer. "Well, there's a strange fluctuation in the particle flow. It started about 300 seconds ago. Looks like a fractal pattern. I think someone or something's trying to interfere with us."

"Is it a pursuit craft or the cyber surveillance system?"

"No. There hasn't been any physical contact from macrophages—And there's no sign that our jamming of the surveillance network has been broken," Canaan stated not glancing from his task. "It's like someone's watching--no studying us." Shion looked around the area with a startled look on her face. "Studying us? Who? Why?" Miyuki shook her head slowly. "There's no way for me to tell," she said.

"How's that data coming?" The orange-haired man continued to type at the terminal. "Just a little more." She nodded some then looked up at the large ceiling. "Hurry. It's dangerous to stay here much longer." Suddenly, one of the encased capsules rose from the floor below as it turned a dark but light shade of red. The brown-haired girl looked up to the capsule and gasped loudly.

"Sh-Shion!" Miyuki stuttered. "I think it's a little too late for that now."

Both Canaan and Shion looked up to see a portal opening from the capsule, a purple monster flew out with a sudden roar as it flew under the balcony and came up on the left side; landing in front of the group. _A...Gnosis?! _The group took out their main weapons: Shion with her newly modified M.W.S.; Miyuki with her own M.W.S. similar to the one that the other woman had in the beginning; Canaan taking out a black dagger with a glowing neon purple edge. The purple gnosis--also known as Sigrdrifa--lunged towards the brunette who jumped back as they fired an open shot from their M.W.S.s. The monster roared in pain then turned to growl at the 2 girls.

"Now, Canaan!"

The orange-haired man rushed towards the gnosis, taking out a hidden dagger and unleashing a flurry of slashes onto the beast. The gnosis staggered only to slam a large fist-like appendage into Canaan's stomach; the man skidding back. He held his stomach as Miyuki gasped. "Canaan!" she yelled in an worried voice. Shion fired another open shot onto the monster then rushed at the monster; slamming a blade into its chest with a battlecry. She jumped back when the monster aimed a sharpened appendage at her only to miss and stab the ground. Miyuki fired two open shots at the gnosis; running at the purple monster. "Take this!" Two prongs came out from where the open shots were fired as she jabbed the prongs into the open yet gnarled wound that the other brunette had left.

A sudden yellow burst of electrical energy traveled from the prongs, instantly shocking Sigrdrifa and making the beast more angered while the dark-haired brunette got at least 10 hits on the beast before being knocked back. "Owie," Miyuki whined. "He's really strong..." Shion fired 3 open shots at the beast as Canaan slashed the monster's back, making it roar in pain once more. "Yeah, well, the stronger they are...the harder they fall!"

**--**

After the group had defeated Sigrdrifa--the gnosis falling to the floor and vanishing--more gnosis suddenly appeared from portals above them, much to the group's dismay. "Ahhhhh! Shion!" Canaan took off running while Shion grabbed Miyuki's left arm as she ran after him. The monsters took off after the escaping group only to be shot with a beam laser; the black E.S.--Doctus--was in. "Shion, we're getting out of here," she ordered. "Realian, you're with me!" The brunette nodded and took out her portable computer gear, holding it up.

"Transfer E.S.!" The silver-blue mecha appeared in front of Shion and Miyuki as they ran towards it, boarding it while Canaan boarded the black mecha with a hint of anger on his face. "My name's _**Canaan!**_ You should remember that by now," he told the white-haired woman angrily. "Sorry, didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I don't waste brainpower on trivial things." With that, the black E.S. flew away while Shion (in Dinah) sat in the pilot's seat and grabbed onto the controls. "This is gonna be a little bumpy. Hold on tight!"

Miyuki looked at Shion with a confused as she climbed up into the second pilot's seat. "Wait. What? Shion! Ahhh!" Suddenly, the brown-haired girl fell face first into her seat (facing upside down) as the harness closed between her legs. When the E.S. Dinah flew off from the scene, the black E.S. destroyed the intercepting enemies while the silver-blue mecha flew through several lit tunnels with the black mecha following. The two mechas came upon an open gate which had began to close; increasing their speed. Shion narrowed her eyes as she saw the faint image of a young boy who had his hair tied back in a ponytail.

_No. Don't shoot_, a boy's voice echoed through the brunette's eyes who took her fingers off the trigger button. The gate ahead of the mechas stopped closing then began to reopen again. Shion felt panic rising as she closed her eyes. "Miyuki! Hurry up, disconnect now!"

**Chapter Four: End**

**--**

**Nothing much to say. :) R&R.**


	6. Completed Mission Feels So Good

**Chapter Five: Completed Mission Feels So Good**

On an beautiful lush planet somewhere in space, the E.S. Dinah stood near the rocky crevaces of an beautiful island; the sun shining brightly in the clear blue sky. The cockpit hatch of the silver-blue mecha opened as Shion jumped out of it wearing a light pink two-piece swimsuit. On her wrists were light pink wristbands along with one around her leg. The brunette also wore a belt around her waist where her connection gear was attached. She stretched her arms out then looked up to the sky, shielding her eyes with her hand.

"That one was a little too close for comfort," she said with a small smile. _I'm getting as bad as Shane now._ Suddenly, Shion's gear began to ring as she took it from its holster and answered it to see Miyuki's concerned face come onto the small video screen. "Are you all right, Shion?" She looked to the other woman's swimsuit, nearly squealing. "Whoa, you look pretty sexy!" Shion felt her eyebrow twitch then sighed.

"Miyuki...you're starting to sound like a dirty old man.." The brown-haired girl giggled some. "Well, we completed our mission." Shion nodded some, raising an eyebrow at her; a rather displeased look on her face. "Although someone made it more complicated than it should've been." Miyuki whined softly. "Oh, come on, Shion. I promised it won't happen again," she said holding up her hands in front of her in a praying motion.

The woman shook her head some. "Anyway, how's the data? Don't tell me we lost it in the end." Suddenly, a transmission with Canaan appeared nearly startling Shion..barely. "It's fine. The backup completed with .002 nanoseconds to spare," he said. "Good." Then, another transmission appeared with Doctus on the screen. "Not bad, former Chief of Vector's First Division. You and your brother are both good."

"The translation method was sloppy and a bit lagging, but thanks to you, we made it," Shion said in an thankful voice. "I'm going to start analyzing the backed up data," the white-haired woman told her. "I'll let you know if I find anything—along with the other thing you asked."

"Thanks." Doctus nodded then looked to the transmission with Canaan. "Start the data transfer, Realian." The orange-haired man narrowed his eyes while a small yet unheard growl came from his throat. "It's _Canaan_. You seen to have a defect in your memory."

"_Errare humanum est._" With that, the transmissions from the two disengaged from Shion's connection gear; leaving only Miyuki's. "Um, uh, Shion, you aren't mad, are you?" the brown-haired girl asked meekly. Shion shook her head slightly. "No. Everything turned out all right. I don't make a habit of fussing over details."

"Oh, good!" The brunette sighed lightly. "No, it's not good. I'm sending you text on basic structure later and I want you to answer them," she ordered as Miyuki whined. "Aww, again?" The woman raised an eyebrow at her, trying not to grind her teeth together. "Your method is unable to adapt to the language because you skipped the basics during assembly." The brown-haired girl sighed as she hung her head in defeat. "Yes, ma'am..." She lifted her head again to look at the other woman. "Shion, is what we are doing really okay?"

"You're asking me now? _You're_ the one who demanded we let you help." Miyuki let a slightly worried look come over her face. "I mean, well, what we're doing _is_ a crime."

"Yes, but that was before the Gnosis terrorism. We know that the Gnosis phenomenon is symbiotically linked to the U.M.N. So the U.M.N. as it stands now is dangerous," Shion said. "Just like Doctus said, Gnosis may not have been called by Professor Mizrahi, and the U-TIC Organization, or even the Immigrant Fleet, but rather Vector, the construction of the U.M.N. If that's true, there may be on ulterior motive in KOS-MOS's development as well."

"Is that why you're having Scientia investigate the Miltian Conflict? Because your father might have been involved?" Miyuki asked. The brunette looked to the side, biting her bottom lip. "I don't know for certain…but I think someone has to do something. And I don't want KOS-MOS to suffer." The brown-haired girl looked at the other woman with a concerned look on her face. "Shion, you still can't forget about her?" A sigh escaped Shion's lips who looked down at the ground. "You quit the company without any hesitation, so I thought you'd be over it by now."

"It takes a lot of courage to renounce everything you've worked for," Shion told her. Miyuki nodded slightly as she smiled some. "Anyway, if there's any development over here, I'll let you know."

"Right. But be careful. You're in more danger than the rest of us since you are where you are."

The brown-haired girl laughed slightly. "Oh, Shion, stop trying to scare me." Miyuki waved goodbye, ending the transmission while the brunette put her connection gear away. She looked down at the ground then bit her bottom lip again. "Nephilim, you're still—" The woman began to walk only to clutch her head with her right hand tightly, grunting in pain. "...That's happening a lot lately. I wonder if I'm just worn out." Shion continued to hold her head as she walked down to the beach hut she occupied. There, she saw that her portable computer had an incoming message on its holographic screen. She walked over to the computer, looking at it. "There's incoming mail on the residential PC. I wonder who it's from." She pressed a button to open the e-mail.

When the e-mail opened it showed the video transmission of a rather nervous looking Allen on the screen. "Ah, um, uh, I guess it's been a while, Chief," he said rubbing the back of his head. He then straightened up. "Um, actually, this pretty difficult to tell you, but…" The brown-haired man lowered his eyes with a saddened look on his face. "..at a staff meeting a few days ago, they officially decided to cancel…First Division's KOS-MOS development project. Actually, it's being transferred to the military, so the project itself isn't going away, but the military is going to oversee the development of a new model, so the KOS-MOS unit development will come to a close at the end of this month," he told her.

"Togashi and I have the misfortune of being transferred to the military along with it. The decision was sudden, so we're all scrambling to organize the data we've accumulated. Though, all of us are pretty down since you've left." Allen smiled slightly. "So, now I'm on Fifth Jerusalem, where the project is being transferred to. Would you like to come and visit us? Everyone misses you. I'm sure even KOS-MOS—Well, she's anti-social as usual, so I don't know what she thinks, but I bet she misses you, too. I'll await your answer. I hope to see you soon, Chief, our Flower of First Division." With that, the e-mail transmission ended as Shion chuckled lightly.

"Well, he's certainly learned how to talk smoothly. I can't believe it's been six months already..." She closed her eyes, placing her hand on her chin as she began to remember back to when she was with Vector on her last day...

_Shion, wearing her Vector uniform, walked towards the door as Allen followed after her. "Chief! Wait, calm down! Please, tell me why—" She stopped walking to turn her head with an angered look on her face, nearly startling the man who stopped with her glare. "Weren't you listening to what I just said?" He looked at her sadly then stepped forward. "I was listening. I heard what you said, but what do you mean you're quitting?" he asked. "Upper management has yet to make a decision."_

_"I can't just stay on as Chief like nothing happened after causing an incident like that," she told him shaking her head. "You mean the Gnosis terrorism, right? It was that Grimoire guy who caused it. There's no reason for you to take responsibility for it. You haven't been accused of anything yet. You don't have to resign." Shion turned her head back to the door, gripping her fists tightly. "KOS-MOS...will be sealed and placed under observation and I'm responsible for it. It may be irresponsible to leave in the middle of development, but I can't stay at Vector." She began to step away from him as Allen bit his lip. "She's only being sealed temporarily, and—Wait, Chief!" He walked after her when she stopped in front of the door, looking down._

"_Allen, please take care of KOS-MOS and everyone."_

"_Please, give it a second thought!" He begged her only to have his face saddened even more when she shook her head. "I'm sorry." With that, she left the room while her friends and co-workers looked on with confused (and saddened) looks on their faces. "Chief…"_

Shion bit her lip as she continued to reminice...

"_A female form?"_

_Shion stood with her blue-haired fiance, Kevin, in a lab where KOS-MOS's archtype body was held, standing near her maintenance bed. The blue-haired man had his arms folded while Shion looked up at him. "Yes. Since ancient times women always healed people's hearts and granted them hope," he said nodding slightly. "But there've been a lot of men who were healers, too." He looked to the brunette, raising his eyebrow as he began to walk away from her. "Historical records have always been compiled from a male point of view. And besides, men are creatures capable of nothing but destruction and conquest. It's important to choose a female form when it's going to be a creator or protector." The woman blinked a few times before giggling softly. _

_Kevin looked to her with a puzzled look on his face. "Did I say something strange?" She smiled, shaking her her head as she walked over to him. "No, it's just funny to see you with a gentle expression while you lecture with such intensity." He chuckled lightly. "Really?" he asked. She nodded at him. "Why did you decide to make KOS-MOS, Kevin? Is it to protect humanity?"_

"_Well…it's true that Gnosis are a grave threat to mankind's existence. So wanting to protect people from that threat is part of it. But more than that, there's something much stronger inside me." He looked to his hand, gripping it slightly. "Stronger?" The blue-haired man nodded slowly. "Everything exists for a reason. If the Gnosis represents a truth we haven't known before, then I want to know what that is." Shion looked down at the floor. "The truth about Gnosis." He turned around to face the brunette who looked up at him. _

"_I think that may actually be the shortcut to saving this universe," he told her. She nodded at him with a slight smile. "I know you can do it, Kevin." He walked over to the maintenance bed as Shion faced it. "You'll build KOS-MOS and you'll find that meaning..."_

Once the reminiscencing had ended, Shion opened her eyes as she thought to herself. "So, they've canceled the project," she said to herself in an unhappy voice. "It's my fault. Kevin would be sad. Everything is unfinished. I'm sure even KOS-MOS won't be satisfied." She shook her head lightly. "No, I'm the one who's not satisfied. I can't go on leaving things unfinished like this. I have to go see KOS-MOS."

**--**

A little while later in Wilhelm's office on the Dammerung, the white-haired man looked to the Red Testament who stood in front of him; his face in a look of interest. "It appears part of the S-Line Division data leaked," he told him. Wilhelm chuckled softly as he smiled. "It's her handiwork. It seems she's working very hard." Behind the bird-face shaped veil, the Red Testament's eyes narrowed. "The leak included information about _that_ program."

"It doesn't matter. They have little power. Actually, it's all rather endearing. They think their cage is the entire world, and they believe they can change it. Let's just watch them for a while." The hooded man nodded slowly. "But enough of that. How did things go at Rennes-le-Château? Is everything ready?"

"Everything is proceeding as planned. The transport to Fifth Jerusalem is complete. We're ready for the Zohar Project demonstration. Do you intend to leave that location as is?" the Red Testament asked. "Yes. Ormus needs a sign that they can see with their own eyes. As long as they have their proof, they will continue to sacrifice themselves to protect their idol," Wilhelm told him. "For that is the source of their hope. There isn't much time left for her as well. Contact with KOS-MOS has taken its toll on her. You must succeed this time."

"I understand. I will tend to her myself." The white-haired man stood up and walked away from his desk as he glanced outside of the window at the darkness of space. "She emits good wavelength, just as you said."

The hooded man chuckled softly. "Thank you."

**Chapter Five: End**

**--**

**Nothing much to say. ;) Now the real fun begins. Shane appears in the next chapter even though its brief! R&R.**


	7. A Resolve, A Hidden Saint

**Chapter Six: A Resolve/Hidden Saint**

On Second Miltia inside the U.M.N. Network building, Juli Mizrahi sat at a console while communicating with Representative Helmer on the monitor. She had a concerned look on her face, her hands holding each other tightly. "This is awful," she said softly. The dark-skinned man nodded at her. "Yes. This battle resulted in the destruction of the 87th Division fleet. Now the Michtam system has, for all practical purposes, fallen under Ormus control." She sighed softly, shaking her head slowly. "And so history repeats itself. It's the exact same situation as one hundred years ago."

"As long as people have self-preservation instincts, there will always be conflicts. The consciousness that makes us who we are is an inseparable part of life. Only death awaits people who abandon their human nature," Helmer told the dark-haired woman. "So everything is dictated by the laws of nature? That does sound like you, Helmer. But even that is in danger of being destroyed by the Gnosis. If things continue on like this—"

"That's what the Zohar Project is for. I hear that the Tactical Warship Merkabah is already complete." Juli had a saddened look on her face. "According to the remaining fragments of the Y-Data, the Merkabah, just like the Proto Merkabah, is a device that existed since ancient times," she said. "And Dmitri decided to turn it into a weapon. When Albedo obtained the Y-Data from MOMO's subconscious domain, Dmitri obtained it as well by some unknown method." Helmer slammed his hands down on the desk in front of him, startling the other woman who regained her composure.

"That bastard Dmitri! Who would've thought he would use Joachim's dark relics? This must be hard on you," he told her as she shook her head. "I'm more worried about how MOMO would feel if she learned about this. I can't bear to see her sad." He nodded some then smiled lightly. "You're a good mother."

"Well, I'm trying," she said in an worried voice. "I'm sorry, but I will need you to keep an eye on Dmitri a little while longer." Juli raised an eyebrow at the dark-skinned man. "Isn't this sort of job your specialty?" He shook his head some with a sigh. "Perhaps in the past. Now, I'm the Miltian Representative. I can't make any moves out in the open. Just restraining the Salvator faction in Parliament keeps my hands full."

She nodded some. "You have my sympathy. Farewell," she said as they ended the transmission. The doors opened which made the dark-haired woman turn her head to see Canaan walk in. "Are you busy?" he asked. "Canaan. No, it's fine." The orange-haired man nodded and waked over to her, stopping near the console where she sat at. "Have you found any information about the object?" She turned her head to look at images and scans of a half-circle object Canaan brought on the computer terminal screen.

"This is what it looks like under the U.M.N. resonating telescope at maximum magnification. According to the information we obtained unofficially from Vector, this object is called Rennes-le-Château," he stated. "There's no way to prove this, but apparently, it's a landmass that belonged to Lost Jerusalem."

Juli looked to the images then at the orange-haired man with a questionable look. "Even if, as you say, this is in fact a relic of Lost Jerusalem, why has it appeared now?"

"There is also a record of an unusual number of Gnosis appearing in that region of space. Ormus appears interested in it as well. There's likely to be some connection. The only way to obtain more data on it is to make direct contact with the target. What do you propose about assembling an expedition team?" She nodded some. "I've already commissioned the Kukai Foundation," she told him. "This isn't public due to the number of Ormus members in the military and Parliament."

"A wise decision." The information from the computer turned off as Canaan began to walk out of the room. "Was Shion doing well?" the dark-haired woman asked making the orange-haired man stop. He turned his head to look at her. "Yes, she seemed fine. Though I am not sure if I approve of her new associates..." He bit back an urge to badmouth the woman called Doctus who seemed to forget his name when she spoke with him. _Shane's rubbing off on me..._

"Ah, Scientia. Their technical skills are impressive. Vector has been acting suspiciously since the Gnosis terrorism. We'll use anything we can in order to find the truth. Even outlaws. Please continue your investigation on the U.M.N. It must be difficult for you since you were born at Vector, but there's no one else I can ask." He nodded some then said, "I'm currently under the jurisdiction of the Miltian government. And I've also received orders from Representative Helmer to cooperate with you. Do not worry about me."

"Thank you."

**--**

On the bridge of the Durandal, Mary stood at Shelley's console where her purple-haired sister sat as they looked up at communication monitors with Gaignun, Jr., and Shane--who now had pink hair with red streaks in them. "The Parliament and the military both have their hands full dealing with Ormus. And we can't ignore a request from Committee Member Mizrahi," the black-haired man said as the red-haired boy nodded. "Nah, don't worry about it. We're getting bored anyway. It'll be a nice change of pace. Right?"

"That's right!" both Mary and Shane said. "It's unofficial, but we have information that an Ormus fleet is headed there as well." Jr. looked at them with a small nod. "Either there's something there that Ormus needs or maybe—"

"Look, Jr. Just because we don't know what it is, doesn't mean they don't," Shane said with a smug look on her face. "Either way, if we make direct contact, we're sure to find out something. Right?" Gaignun chuckled lightly. "I envy your attitude. But I wish you'd think a little more about my position."

"Oh, well, that's the Little Master for you." The red-haired boy scoffed lightly then shook his head. "The matter is surrounded by sensitive political issues. If I could, I'd go with you, but I can't leave Fifth Jerusalem for a while. Take care of the place while I'm gone, you two. If he gives you any trouble, don't hesitate to scold him." Mary and Shelly nodded. "You got it!" the blonde woman said smiling. The purple-haired woman nodded. "Understood."

"Oh, and Shane?"

"Yeah?" The girl asked at Gaignun's transmission. "Good luck with your concert later." She stuck her tongue out at him as his transmission ended while the monitors with her and Jr. opened wider but sat side by side each other. "Hmph. Like he really envies me. He's dumped all the hard stuff on us," the red-haired boy said holding up his fist. "I'm going to make him write all the reports when this is done." Mary looked to the boy with a concerned look on her face. "Little Master, are you really going to be okay with just the Elsa? Wouldn't it be a good idea for us to go, too? And Little Miss, your concert's in a few hours. That agent of yours would be on us like white on rice!"

"Meh, he can kiss my ass and be happy." Jr. grinned at her response then shook his head at Mary. "Don't worry. It's just gonna be reconnaissance, so Elsa's small size is better suited," he told her. "Just keep the Durandal in the back for support. Anyway, we've got E.S.s. There's nothing to worry about."

"Little Master, I don't mean to dampen your enthusiasm, but large scale Gnosis appearances have been detected in that region of space. Please take appropriate caution," Shelley stated. Shane let a toothy grin come over her face. "I know. We're almost there. I'll contact you later."

"Hehehe, oh goody! I'll get some exercise before the concert," the pink-haired girl said while the red-haired boy sighed as they ended their transmissions with the Durandal. The blonde woman looked to her sister with a concerned look. "Think we should call Mr. Hiwa to tell him that the Little Miss will be late?"

"We should but...she could attack him with her weapons again."

**--**

Afterwards on the planet Michtam, Margulis stood in the ruins of a decapitated building as the burgandy haired man looked up at the cloudy sky while standing on a broken piece of another building. Pelligri walked out from inside of the building next to him then walked up behind him. "Margulis, I've put Richard and Hermann in charge of dealing with the Federation fleet moving towards Rennes-le-Château." He looked back at her, chuckling lightly. "Hmph. They seem to be highly compatible with the Vessels of Anima," he told her as he looked back at the sky. "Yes. The Federation will be unable to offer any real resistance against E.S. craft. This should keep them quiet for a while."

"Hmm." The blonde-haired woman looked at her commanding officer with a concerned look on her face. "What's wrong? You're not yourself. Are you feeling sentimental after returning to our homeland?" she asked him. She watched the man turn around to face her with a look of both pride and disgust on his face. "Pellegri, what do you see before you?" he asked her. "Michtam, the mummified world that spreads before our eyes. This is what is left of the birthplace of Ormus." She narrowed her eyes slightly, nodding slowly. "A world destroyed eighteen years ago, by Federation barbarians who foolishly unleashed the Zohar."

**"**Yes. It is our homeland, wiped from the records, in order to cover up the Federation's mistakes." The blonde woman looked up at him again. "But why are we here now? What lies on this world ruled by death and Gnosis? Isn't our goal to return to Lost Jerusalem?" Margulis chuckled lightly as he turned his head to look up at the sky again. "Everything is the will of Lord Heinlein. It is not for us to know," he told Pellegri. "He had stated that this world will rise again. Then it must mean that it will. Already, Rennes-le-Château has returned."

"The holy land of Rennes-le-Château. Our cradle, which once existed on Lost Jerusalem, where our blessed Saint sleeps," the blonde woman said with a hint of praise in her voice.

"If the reappearance of the tomb heralds the revival of our homeland, then we must protect our holy land at all costs." Margulis turned around as he and Pellegri turned arund to see a soldier run over to them from inside the building. He stopped, saluting them. "Reporting, sir! A Kukai Foundation vessel is approaching the region in question. It appears to be a Lohengrin-class freighter." The burgendy-haired man let a malicious grin come across his facial features. "Hm, Helmer's dogs," he said with a slight chuckle. "Perhaps I'll meet _**them**_ again. Prepare the Prodigium for launch! We're going to Rennes-le-Château!"

--

(A/N: If you've played the third Xenosaga game, then you know what the original characters look like in their new outfits (save for Ziggy and Allen)...but if not, I'll explain what they look like.)

Later in the darkness of space, the Elsa along with 4 mechas flew toward a planet that took on a halved look. Inside the blue mecha--the E.S. Asher--Jr. sat in the pilot's seat wearing his new outfit: a long-sleeved black jacket with a red half circle around it, a black sleeveless shirt underneath that ended in white, a brown old-western styled gun holster belt around his waist with a chain attached to a cross, a pair of pants that started with blue and ended with red; brown boots ending his new outfit.

chaos sat below him in the second seat in his new outfit as well: a yellow/blue/grey sleeveless jacket that came up to his upper arm, a long sleeved dark blue-green shirt (that was zipped up the front) with gloves at the end tucked into white baggy pants that had a blue line running up the sides of them; a black belt around his slim waist with suspenders hanging on the sides of his hips; a small black/blue belt around his left leg. He ended the outfit with black boots that had a red gem on the ankles.

The red-haired boy practically whistled in awe of the large landmass in front of them "This thing is pretty big!" he gasped. The white-haired boy looked up at him with a mellow look on his face. "More like an asteroid than a rock formation."

On the Elsa's bridge, Hammer typped at his console while looking at the landmass on his screen. "It's 70 kilometers in diameter. Unable to determine mass due to abnormal gravitational fields," he told everyone over the radio and on the bridge. "Still, these values seem to be rather unusual." Captain Matthews looked up as they approached the halved planet with a concerned look on his face. "I didn't think anything this size could cause such a gravitational disturbance."

"Gravity roughly IG around the object," Jin--in his futuristic oriental outfit--said inside his green/black mecha: the E.S. Reuben. "But that seems rather strange..." Suddenly, the black-haired man noticed something odd about the halved planet only to have it hit him like a ton of bricks once he realized what looked like. "W-What is this?"

"Whoa! It looks like a large portion of land from somewhere," Jr. exclaimed in an excited voice.

"It could even be the remains of a destructed planet," Ziggy explained as he sat in the second seat of the pink/light pink E.S. Zebulun with MOMO in the pilot's seat in her cute red and pink pinafore-styled dress. "No. The shape of the underside looks too uniform for that. It appears to have been artificially cut away from its original mass." The pink-haired girl looked to her radar then gasped. "Multiple unidentified craft are approaching!" she cried out. Out of nowhere, sudden laser attacks appeared narrowly missing the Elsa much to the crew's surprise.

"Tony!" The blonde-haired pilot gritted his teeth as he moved the cargo ship from the upcoming battle. "Damn it!" he cursed loudly. "Oi, Jr." Shane activated a communication monitor to the E.S. Asher, the red-haired boy looking at her with a concerned look. "What?" She grinned slightly. "Guess who's coming to say 'hi?" she asked; another monitor coming up in front of Jr. to show enemy mechas approaching them. He grinned widely.

"Is that Ormus?! It's nice of them to greet us!" he said with a smug look. The blue mecha flew towards the enemies and fired off rounds of its machine gun while the E.S. Zebulun and E.S. Striker fired their pod weapons at the enemy. "Captain, continue your approach to the island and collect data! We can handle these guys ourselves." Captain Matthews rubbed his ear to see if he heard right. "Little Master! Now wait just a second!"

"Is he telling us to go there by ourselves?!" Hammer asked in a panicky voice. Suddenly, one of the enemy E.S.s faced the front of the Elsa and aimed its beam rifle. "No way in hell! We don't get any hazard pay!" Just as the enemy mecha charged up its beam rifle and was about to fire, the E.S. Reuben destroyed the mecha with a downward side slash with its large swords. The E.S. Asher fired at an enemy E.S. that tried to get away. The red-haired boy growled softly.

_For the love of god... _

"I'll give you guys a damn escort! Now **go** do what you're paid to do!" Shane snickered softly as a communication monitor from MOMO opened up beside her. "Shane, are you sure you should be here? I mean..." The pink-haired young woman nodded some then grinned at her; E.S. Striker holding up a red shield with a gold cross on the front in its right hand, a beam rifle in the left.

"Course I'm sure! Don't worry about me, MOMO-chan...we'll defeat these pushovers and be back to the Durandal and/or Elsa in time for my concert!" Shane activated the boosters of her mecha, flying to stand (or hover) beside Asher while the E.S. Reuben and Zebulun did the same (Reuben on Asher's left side; Zebulun on Striker's right).

Shane looked over to see 6 enemy E.S.s surround the mechas as she launched missiles from the blue/white mecha's sides, scattering around them; watching them hit one of the enemy mechas--otherwise known as Ceras--destroying it. "Alright, let's go kick some Ormus ass!" she yelled the four mechas separating from their small group. The E.S. Zebulun launched pod missiles while the E.S. Asher fired machine gun rounds into 2 Ceras that were promptly destroyed. The E.S. Striker fired two rounds of its beam rifle into an enemy mecha that fired rounds at the blue/white mecha; E.S. Reuben immediately slashed down 2 Ceras that fired at the green/black mecha. Shane sighed softly, leaning back in her pilot's seat.

"All enemy units destroyed," she said over the radio. "God, I'm getting too old for this.." Jr. scoffed over her communication monitor. "You just turned 18 this year, Shane."

"Yeah, in _**my**_ world; I gotta be at least...well, 4,000 years old, I assume." The red-haired boy chuckled lightly then looked over at the pink/light pink mecha of MOMO's sideways. "How's the Elsa?" he asked. "It's safe. It's gathering data at coordinates KZ255, Y724." He nodded slightly. "Okay. MOMO and Jin, you go guard the Elsa. Shane...you can go on to Fifth Jerusalem for your concert. I'm sure that agent of yours is having a fit by now.." MOMO and Jin replied with a simple "right" and "roger" flying towards the Elsa while Shane chuckled lightly.

"Alright then, but like I told Mary and Shelley: he can kiss my ass and be happy." Jr. grinned widely until he heard an alarm going off on the screen. "Jr., enemy reinforcements!" chaos exclaimed. The red-haired boy growled softly, his grin fading. "They don't know when to give up! How many are there this time?"

"Just one! And it's after…the Elsa!" Shane cursed under her breath as she watched the black/dark green mecha equipped with swords in hand flew towards the E.S. Zebulun at increasing speed. "Oi, MOMO! Ziggy!!" she yelled over the radio. "You're in the way!" the pilot in the black mecha roared, slashing at the pink/light pink mecha only to have it block its attacks. "What?!" MOMO gasped, managing to block the attacks with some difficulty. "Well, well..." The two mechas backed away from one another.

"Your inexperience…is beginning to show!" the black/dark green mecha slashed the E.S. Zebulun across the chest armor as it was knocked back towards the E.S. Reuben, catching it. "Is that a new model?! MOMO, stay back. I'll take him down!" Jr. exclaimed, flying the E.S. Asher towards the enemy mecha and attacked the machine with a blade attacked to its left arm only to have it miss. The black mecha aimed a strike at the blue mecha with its sword as three incoming kunai missiles flew at the E.S. Asher, its right arm shield protecting it.

"Oi, Jin!" The black-haired man nodded and flew towards the blach mecha in E.S. Reuben, clashing blades with one another then back away almost as if they were staring each other down. "A black E.S. Its agility," Jin said under his breath the mechas clashing swords a couple more times. "This swordsmanship… Uzuki!" The green mecha backed away from the black E.S. after their sword clashing.

"I thought that was you, Colonel. This location must mean a great deal, due to the fact that you've come all this way to join us."

The burgandy-haired man let a sadistic grin come across his face. "And what if it does? It's not a phenomenon you can handle and you'll never understand its meaning," he said evilly.. I'm going to send you and your E.S.s right to your graves!" Shane scoffed then grabbed her controls, firing missiles at the black mecha then flew at him. "You're so fucking obsessed with Uzuki-sama...it's almost as if you want to fucking rape the guy!"

"_**WHAT?!**_"

Jr. had to rub both of his ears to see if he heard correctly; chaos just sat in his seat acting like he didn't hear anything; MOMO trying not to laugh with Ziggy who ironically kept his composure; Jin holding his face as he shook his head; and Margulis who bit back several curses, his face turning red. "You...arrogant...little...!!" He rushed at the E.S. Striker then clashed blade against beam. Shane moved out of the way and opened fire on the black mecha. "What, it's true and you're using that woman--no, your fangirl--as your cover-up?" she mocked before moving out of the way of the kunai missiles and from friendly fire from the E.S. Asher and Zebulun.

"Good grief, Shane, can't you go into battle without pissing someone like that guy off?" Jr asked over the communication monitor. The young woman chuckled, grinning widely. "Come on, you know it's true...ain't that right, Uzuki-sama?" The black-haired man sighed softly. "I have nothing to say, but please stop with the formal surnames." The E.S. Reuben dashed at the black mecha as they clashed swords with one another. "I don't see why you continue to work with them, young woman...no, Shane," Margulis said over the communication radio after he regained his composure.

"You even joined the wretched Federation Army..and became their songtress!" Shane cursed under her breath at Jr. for having her induction ceremony recorded and broadcasted over the U.M.N. network. "If you were with Ormus...you would've been a priestess--no, _our_ songtress and served our master! Your singing would've led us to victory!" Jr. growled, firing machine gun rounds at the black mecha only to have them blocked. "Let's see how far my blades will go against you!" The green mecha clashed its swords with the black mecha, missiles from E.S. Asher and Striker flying towards them.

"Uzuki-sa--I mean Jin, move your ass!" The E.S. Reuben quickly moved as the missiles blew up in front of the black mecha, sending it flying back. "Damn...where did they get flash explosives?!" The burgandy-haired man growled then yelled when he was bombarded with machine bullet rounds.

Thank god for shields.

He growled lowly, narrowing his eyes to mere slits. "I'll show you the difference between me and you!" He held his two swords up as they glowed a bright violet hue; Shane's eyes widening. She immediately fired her beam rifle only to have the shots cut in half and slashed at. The young woman screamed when the blades connected with her shield; the latter being cut in two then blowing up. _Shit...thank you, Professor_, she thought to herself. The E.S. Striker took a beam sword from its holster on her back (inbetween the boosters) as she and the black mecha clashed swords with one another. Margulis fought with Shane, noticing the way she fought one-handed...and recklessly.

"Heh, you're still inexperienced, girl. You're weak compared to Uzuki!" She gritted her teeth then pushed the black mecha back, swinging her beam sword at him. "Get a life, you fucking bastard!" she yelled when she slashed her sword across the other mecha's chest plate, leaving a mangled gash. "Colonel, what is Ormus so concerned about? What lies asleep in this place?" The burgandy-haired man looked to the green mecha as he narrowed his eyes. "I have nothing else to say to you. You should be ashamed of your ignorance!" The black mecha slashed its sword at the E.S. Striker, leaving a gash across its face and charged at the E.S. Reuben. "Now it's time for you to die!!" The green mecha defended against the sudden rage-filled slashs of the black mecha; countering with parries and break attacks. As the fight continued, a bright white light suddenly engulfed the two mechas.

"What's this?" Jin asked aloud looking around his cockpit. "What?" In the E.S. Zebulun, Ziggy looked up at MOMO who looked at her analyzer. "MOMO, what's happening?"

"It's a space-time transfer. An anomaly has manifested around the landmass," she stated as a gigantic transparent blue sphere formed around the halved planet. "Imaginary number values increasing! The phenomenon's surface is rotating in reverse phase!" The Asher watched nearby; chaos's eyes widening in shock. "Jin, you have to get out of here now!" he exclaimed. "What the hell's going on?!" The green mecha started to fly away only to have a napalm grenade thrown at it from the black mecha and exploding near it. Stopping from the shock of the sudden blast, the machine drifted towards the enemy mecha as it grabbed it, placing its sword near the green mecha's neck.

The black haired man growled lightly, looking back at the black mecha; Margulis sitting in the pilot's seat with a manic grin on his face.

"You won't get away from me that easily, Uzuki!" he roared. Suddenly, the Elsa appeared from nowhere and rammed into the enemy mecha, making it release its death grip of the E.S. Reuben. The burgandy-haired man seethed in anger; his face practically on fire. "Do not _**interfere!**_" The black mecha threw its swords like a javalin at the cargo ship's boosters as they hit their mark, the boosters now damaged; the ship slowing down in the process. "Captain!" The other E.S.s watched the Elsa dive down to the halved planet, its boosters on fire. "Hurry, you must escape!" Jr. exclaimed. Margulis watched the ship and gasped audibly.

"They're headed for the Holy Land! How dare they!" He started his descent towards the Elsa until an elegant yet superior voice rang out inside his head and the cockpit, stopping him: _Let them go, Margulis._

"But, I… Your Eminence! How can you say that?" he asked in response. "The blessed Saint sleeps in that land."

_She is already in our possession_, the voice told him_. Even if they were able to reach the place, there would be nothing for them to find there. _The burgandy-haired man looked dumbfounded as he looked up at whoever he was speaking to. "What was that?! Don't tell me you've already acted?" _Yes. I have a new task for you! Return at once. Do you understand?_

"...Yes, Your Eminence." The E.S. Asher looked over to the black mecha that was retreating, flying after the machine; Jr. seething in anger. "Come back here, you bastard!" the red-haired boy yelled trying to intercept the mecha only to get shot at by lasers that came from nowhere. Dodging the shot quickly, the blue mecha watched a large fleet of ships arriving from the gate jump as Jr. gritted his teeth.

"Fucking cheat..."

"Uzuki! Unfortunately, we'll have to settle this later," Margulis said mocking the group. "In the meantime I want you to concentrate on saving your friends. You have got to think of something to help them out at this point. That is, if there is a way to help save their poor souls..." Jin watched the black mecha fly off towards a ship that resembled an hourglass, a look of concern on his face. "But, Colonel.."

Meanwhile on the Elsa, complete and utter confusion plus havoc was raging. The alarms were blaring over the intercoms; it's crew members panicking while trying to figure out what to do. Captain Matthews held onto his seat; Tony gripping the flight controls tightly; the Professor (a newcomer) standing near the captain's high chair; Hammer and Scott (another newcomer) sat at the Navigations console, shaking their heads and acting like they were praying. "Hurry up and reverse the thrusters!" the old man ordered. "That border surface is _**nasty**_! It'll grind this ship to dust!" Matthews looked back at the Professor then at the blonde pilot.

"**Tony!**" The man screamed, pulling back on the flight controls tightly while Hammer and Scott muttered to themselves: "This ain't happening, this ain't happening" over and over again. Tony growled lightly then turned his head to glance back at Captain Matthews. "Damn it! The logical drive is shot! We don't have any power! It's no good. It won't hold. We're gonna crash! Brace yourselves!"

--

Back on the Durandal's bridge, Mary stood with an anxious look on her face; Shelley hurriedly typed at her console. "Mary, can you locate the Elsa's position?!" Jr. asked worried over a communication monitor at the two sisters. "We're on it. Wait a sec." The blonde woman looked down at a 100-Series that typed at its console. "How are we? Did you trace it?"

"IFF lost! Unable to determine the Elsa's location!"

"Were they shot down?!" the purple-haired woman asked. "No way! Besides, we didn't detect any explosions," Mary told her with a simple wave of her hand. "Regardless of what happened, we won't be able to learn anymore from here. Let's hurry to Little Master's location."

"Yeah." The two women looked up at the red-haired boy's monitor. "Hear that, Little Master? Wait just a little bit." He nodded slightly. "Yeah, gotcha. Please hurry," he said. "Jin! Shane! How's it look over there?" The black-haired man's communication monitor came up as he sighed. " I'm afraid the Reuben's sensors won't be able to show us any more. We'll have to wait for the Durandal's arrival."

"Yeah...even with the Striker's advanced system, I can't see anything beyond that mass," she said shaking her head. The red-head growled lightly. "Dammit. Just be okay guys."

**Chapter 6: End**


	8. Reunion, Concert of Loving Emotions

**Chapter Seven: Reunion, Concert of Loving Emotions**

Meanwhile on Pedea Beach, Shion climbed into the E.S. Dinah's cockpit as she wore her new outfit: a blue/grey long-sleeved jacket that came up to her upper arm with a white fur collar, a black zipped up tanktop that showed some of her clevage; a black half choker on her neck along with her fiance's necklace, brownish-red shorts that were halfway open and had open slits on her hips showing the black undergarments underneath, black thigh-high stockings and ended with blue/black/white futuristic tennis shoes. The brown-haired woman grabbed hold of the mecha's controls, starting it up as it hovered off the ground and took off into outer space.

_One year has now passed since the battle in Old Miltian space. Ever since the Zohar was swallowed up by the giant Gnosis, the Gnosis phenomenon has increased in frequency, and the people are now constantly exposed to its threat. Yet, the despite large number of star systems that have been destroyed by the Gnosis, people continue to resist, refusing to cooperate with each other, and engaging in one pointless conflict after another. I found myself full of questions. I wanted to know more about the Immigrant Fleet—the organization that was behind the Miltian Conflict—as well as the words that were spoken by the Patriarch Sergius. He said that the Ormus are the rightful possessors of the Zohar, so I began to investigate. I wanted to know more about the relationship between the Miltian conflict and the Zohar on my own. Six months ago, I encountered a group of people called Scientia. I was able to obtain their aid as I found myself becoming more and more involved in an incident that revolved around a mysterious program called Lemegeton. It turned out to be a Zohar control program which was developed during the Lost Jerusalem era._

Out of nowhere, detachable boosters appeared and connected to the back of the E.S. Dinah; the blue/silver mecha entering a gate jump. Shion watched the different colors--mainly gold--spin around each others in a circular motion.

_Its creator, Grimoire, continued to wander the U.M.N. as a mental entity in search of a being. He was searching for Nephilim, the girl in the white dress that has appeared before me countless times. The existence of an organization controlling Grimoire from the shadows come to light: Vector's Special Technology Advancement Division. This department, jointly managed by the government and private industry, had been wiped from the records, but there was no doubt it had been created by the Organization I worked for. Vector also had contact with the U-TIC Organization, and the U-TIC Organization was connected with Ormus. But the evidence was concealed, and the truth had been buried away into the darkness. Everything except for one fact. I found out the name of the individual who was in a lead position at that time in the management office. When I saw the name, Suou Suzuki—I felt nothing. No surprise, no sadness, and no anger. To be honest, I felt nothing at all. Somewhere in my heart, I think that I must have expected it. All I could feel was a sense of resignation, knowing that the inevitable had finally come to pass. And, I decided to quit my job at Vector. The friends I made there, and KOS-MOS…were the only bonds I had linking me to Kevin, but I couldn't stand being there any longer. Maybe I did it to atone for all of the victims. Maybe it was to strike back at my late father, who had abandoned my mother. No, it wasn't for either of those reasons. It was probably that I—_

She bit her bottom lip as she gripped hold of the controls tightly, flying towards a giant space port that was attached to an orbital elevator to the planet down below: Fifth Jerusalem. Once the Dinah was docked in the hanger made for E.S.s, Shion walked into the waiting room near the hanger doors. "Let's see. I'm supposed to meet him at the hotel," she said to herself walking over to the elevator. "There's still some time. I think I'll look around the city." With that, she walked into the overly large yet luxurious elevator as it descended to the planet below. She didn't seem to notice the blue and white standing by the far wall...

--

In a dream area filled with red-violet light, Gaignun stood or rather floated in the midst of it, his emerald-green eyes half-lidded as he looked around. "Where am I?" A sudden wave came over him, making flinch and tense up. "What? G-get away! Stop! Stay back!" He held his head. "Stop!...Stop it!..._**Stop it!**_ Don't touch me!" Another wave came over the black-haired man, shaking his head frantically. "Stop it! Don't talk to me! I refuse to acknowledge you! _**Stop talking to me!**_" A third wave came over him then he lowered his head; almost crying.

"Stop it! I won't do what you want! I-I…" Gaignun's green eyes suddenly turned blank, holding his arms tightly as he curled up in a tight ball. "U…U-DO…"

--

"…Yuriev. Dr. Yuriev?"

"Hmm?"

In an dimly lit office, the blonde-haired man known as Dimitri Yuriev lifted his head from his hand to glance a young woman who wore a purple/grey/white dress with black stockings and had neatly kept orange hair held back by a purple headband. "Is something wrong? Are you not feeling well?" she asked in concern. He waved his hand in front of him, fixing his glasses in the process. "I'm just having some trouble getting along with my son. I'm fine. Please continue." She nodded slowly at him.

"Yes, sir. Currently, the operational experiments are underway in the research ward. And the Doctor wishes to give you a report." Dimitri stood up from his seat. "I see. Accompany me, Citrine," he ordered the girl as she nodded. "Yes, sir." The two of them walked out of the office to the research area where engineers and scientists worked on a large dark green machine. The blonde man walked over with the girl to a man with dark violet-red hair who sat in a futuristic wheelchair at a computer. "So, you've finally decided to come listen to me, Dmitri Yuriev," the man said in a smug voice.

"I see you're as unfriendly as ever, Sellers. I don't have much time. Just tell me the results," Dimitri said. Sellers chuckled lightly. "You're as bad as Margulis. You "commanders" are so inflexible. Anyway, the start-up experiment has already succeeded. The problem is—" He looked at the paraplegic man with a concerned look. "What?"

"Looks at these values." Dimitri and Citrine looked to the computer screen with information on it: images of a person's brain layout. "The pulse from the temporal lobe is unstable," the orange-haired girl stated. "Perhaps there's a problem in the link with the pilot." Sellers nodded lightly. "This is based on the prototype recovered from the ruins of Miltia. It was originally calibrated for an Ormus priest. So these results are unsurprising. Same as the power supply," he told them. "It was designed to match the Original Zohar. Currently, we're operating it using the spare emulator unit I constructed, but because of it, the output is unstable and link with the pilot is poor."

The blonde man narrowed his eyes at Sellers. "Are you saying it won't run?" he asked in an questionable tone. "Exactly the opposite. It generates too much power, and we're unable to stop it. Federation's technicians are no fools, but Ormus is much more experienced in regards to this. If we at least had Vector participating, the outcome might have been a little different. Why did you remove them from the project?"

"The Lemegeton incident. I'm sure you're aware they were involved in it. I don't know what _he's_ scheming, but I can't allow him to gain top secret information." The dark-haired man looked to Dimitri with a sideways glance. "What about the alternative you're using in place of KOS-MOS? Have you determined its origin? It may be another Vector plot." He chuckled lightly, straightening his glasses. "I have people working on that now. Even if it was, it's still just an anti-Gnosis weapon," he said smugly. "We'll just use it for our own purpose. Now, give me an update on the Merkabah."

"No visible problems with that thing. We've already completed the final calibration, thanks to the Y-Data you brought," Sellers told him. The blonde man let a smirk come across his face. "Did I hurt your pride?"

The dark-haired man narrowed his eyes at him. "Take that how you like. But I hope you appreciate my work. I painfully reconstructed it by putting the fragments together. It would almost have been faster to build it from scratch. Of course, with the core in this condition, I can't guarantee its safety." The man nodded slowly as he placed his hands behind his back. "There's not much time left before the demonstration. I trust you'll have it ready by then?"

"Of course. Otherwise, there'd be no point of me being here. By the way, have you found an opponent? You're going to need something impressive to fight this thing." Citrine smiled lightly at the wheelchair bound man. "Don't worry. That's already been arranged," she told him as a surprised look came over his face. "Oh?"

"It's the perfect opponent to silence the fools that support Vector," Dimitri said with a dark look on his face.

--

Later in Vector's office, a tall man with black hair wearing the male Vector uniform (green on his sleeves and on the front) walked into the office. He had an excited look on his face, raising his arms to wave at the other office workers. "Big news! Big news!" he said with a grin. He stopped, looking around. "..Hey, where's the new Chief?" A brown-haired young man looked at him and walked over. "If you're looking for Chief Ridgeley, he went out to the city," he told him. "He said he was meeting someone."

"A meeting? Oh, he must have gone to see Chief Uzuki. What does he think he's doing at a time like this? He should just tell her he's in love with her. He needs to make up his mind and act."

"By Uzuki, you mean Shion Uzuki, the former Chief? She took responsibility for the Gnosis terrorism and resigned, right? Was she Chief Ridgeley's girlfriend?" The black-haired man blinked a few times then sighed, shaking his head. "What? If she were, he would be delirious. But reality is harsh," he said. The brown-haired man looked at him then cleared his throat. "So, what's the big news? Did something happen?"

"Oh, yeah. KOS-MOS is going to be the opponent for the new weapon in the demonstration."

"New weapon? You mean that—" They both looked over to the black maintenance bed as the black-haired man nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, that crazy thing. I guess they want to acquire real-world combat data along with the activation test. But they've sure got a lot of confidence to pick KOS-MOS as the opponent."

"Yeah, they may have removed her from the project, but she's still ready for combat," the brown-haired man said. "Do they think they can win over support if it defeats KOS-MOS?"

"Yeah, I hear there's a lot of Vector-friendly Parliament members in the government. It's probably a move to take some wind out of that faction. I can't believe they're using the product of out stress and caffeine as a political tool. They'll learn not to mess with the Princess of First Division." He punched his fist into his open palm with a smug grin on his face. "We're gonna send them packing. Dammit, we need to get started on the calibration work right away! What the hell is the new Chief doing at a time like this?!"

--

Back on the streets of Fifth Jerusalem, Shion walked to the First Business District as she hurried to the hotel where he co-worker Allen would be waiting. She looked up at a black holographic poster, Shane dressed in a black/white lolita outift; her now pink hair tied back in two buns that sat on either side of her head. The poster read: "See ShaRUKA at her next concert right here on Fifth Jerusalem! Tonight at 8PM!" The brown-haired woman smiled lightly. _Moving on up in the world, huh, Shane?_ she thought to herself, walking to a flight of stairs that led to another area.

She soon reached the Möbius Hotel where she walked inside the building through the sliding glass doors, walking up the small flight of stairs to see Allen nervously waiting for her. Once he saw Shion in her new outfit, he nearly fainted. "Ch-Chief! It's good to see you again," he said blushing slightly that went unseen by the brunette. "Allen! You're looking well." He chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his head some. "Actually, I could use some sleep, but I got more energy then others. You're looking well, too, Chief." Shion narrowed her eyes at him, placing her hands on her hips.

"Hey, could you stop using "Chief"?" she asked him in an irritated voice. "I'm no longer a part of Vector. You can call me Shion." Allen gulped lightly. "What? Oh, um, Shi-Shi-Shi- Chief… It's hard to change what I call you after all this time." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? Seems easy enough to me. Well, whatever."

He chuckled nervously then pointed to the elevator. "I've already got you a room on the upper floor, so go ahead and settle in. When you're done, come back down. I'll show you around town," he told her as she nodded some. "Hmm. There's a lot I want to talk about, so why don't you come up with me?" Allen's face turned completely red, a shocked look on his face. "Wh-what?! Go with you? The room is a double..."

"Of course. No one's expecting a suite," Shion said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Ah, there's the elevator." The brunette started walking to the elevator while a surprised yet blushing Allen watched her. "No, I mean—W-wait, Chief!" He followed after her, jumping into the elevator as the doors nearly closed up on his body. _Gahh...she walks too fast_, he thought to himself. Once the large elevator reached Shion's hotel room, the doors hissed open.

"So, how are things? Is everyone doing well?" the woman asked her co-worker walking into the room.

"Yes, they're all fine. But they don't seem to be very happy with the sudden decision to cancel the project. I'm not happy about it either," he explained with a small sigh. She turned and looked at Allen with a surprised look on her face. "They didn't give any advance notice?" He shook his head some. "Nothing of the sort." The two of them walked over to the computer terminal near the window as they continued to talk.

"Second Division had already begun the next phase along with First Division, so they wound up putting a lot of work to waste. Miyuki said they're all in a really bad mood," Allen told her. "The government is compensating our financial losses, but they can't compensate us for the time we spent on this project."

"Is that really how Second Division feels and not how Miyuki feels?" Shion asked him. "That girl was so excited about KOS-MOS's weapons development." Suddenly, a message concerning an incoming transmission came up onto the screen. The brown-haired man looked at the screen with a confused look. "Hmm? Who is it?" He pressed a button on the terminal's console as the communication monitor opened to show a familiar face.

Well, speak of the devil... "Hi Allen. Is Shion there yet?" Miyuki asked in her cheerful voice. She looked over to see the brunette and smiled. "Oh, there you are." Shion looked at the woman with an unexpected look on her face. ""Oh"? Is that all you have to say to your former coworker after not seeing her for six months?"

Miyuki looked at her confused. "Six months? We just met last—"

"Six months ago! _Remember_?" the brunette hissed, putting empathesis on "remember". The woman on the monitor gasped lightly then put up her best surprised face.

"Oh, uh, yeah, right. Has it really been that long?" she asked nervously not wanting to invoke Shion's fury. Allen looked at the two of them with a confused face. "...huh?" The brunette looked to him then moved her hands in her face. "Ah, um, nothing. I can't believe Miyuki lost track of time!" She placed her hands on her hips as Miyuki rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, I guess time just flew by." She looked to Allen with a mischivious look on her face. "Anyway I bet you're happy, Allen, since you're all alone in a **hotel room** with Shion. Are you planning to enjoy some "quality time" with her after this? Maybe take her to ShaRUKA's concert later on? I heard you got tickets..." Allen's face turned beet red as he shook his head frantically.

"Wha-wha-what are you talking about?!" Miyuki smirked at his reaction. "Hehehe, I hit the nail on the head, huh?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" he asked blushing. "I-I-I'm not that kind of guy! Jeez!" The brown-haired girl on the communication monitor looked surprised yet amused, placing her hand at her lips slightly. "Ooo, a little nervous stutter? Men are such animals!" Shion sighed at them; oblivious to Allen's reactions as she shook her head and stepped up to the computer terminal. "You two...Miyuki, did you have some reason for calling Allen?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm going to need the necessary weapon details by tonight," Miyuki said to Allen who fanned his still burnin face and looking at the monitor confused. "Weapons? For what?" The girl scoffed. "For KOS-MOS, of course. Didn't Togashi tell you? There's going to be a public demonstration to show off that new weapon tomorrow. And KOS-MOS is going to be a part of it. Rumor is, she's going up against it."

"What?! This is the first I've heard about it!" he exclaimed. "Besides, I've already taken today off, and—"

"What are you talking about? Please send the details by this evening," Miyuki said ignoring his protest. "It takes time to put these things together you know. Anyway that's how it goes, so good luck, Chief Ridgeley." And with that, her transmission ended. "W-wait a minute!" Shion looked at Allen with a small smirk on her face. "Sounds like you're a pretty busy man, _Chief_ Ridgeley."

"Uh, yeah, I'm sorry. Looks like I have to get back to work. I'd actually planned to show you a good time around town after this...maybe take you to ShaRUKA's concert, but—" She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Hey, do you think I can sit in on the public demonstration tomorrow? I would love to see KOS-MOS and everyone else, too. Think that'll be all right?" she asked. He nodded some.

"Oh. Sure, I'll ask the Director to let you observe as a special advisor. Officially, you left the company on a positive note, so I doubt there'll be any problems. I'll come by and get you tomorrow."

"Sounds good. Thanks." The brunette walked her co-worker to the door, waving at him as he left. She soon held her head gently with a small sigh. "This heavy schedule is definitely wearing me out. Maybe I'll lie down for a bit." Shion walked over to the bed and laid down; going into a peaceful sleep that she needed..

--

Later on as the afternoon turned into night, the brunette woman woke up from her cat nap and stretched some. "Mmm. I think I overslept," she said rubbing the sleep from her eye. "Though, I feel a bit refreshed." She looked over at the computer terminal, an incoming transmission appearing on the screen. "Hmm? There's a call from someone. I wonder who it is." She got up from the bed and walked over to the terminal, opening the transmission. "Huh?" Shion gasped when the monitor showed two familiar faces.

"chaos! Shane!? How've you been!" she exclaimed. The pink-haired young woman grinned and waved lazily at the brunette while the white-haired boy smiled some. "We're fine. You're looking well."

"What's with the sudden—Wait, that communication code…are you on this planet?"

"Yeah, we just arrived," Shane said as she patted her boyfriend's head lightly. "They made us wait quite a while during entry. It was hard trying to calm down Jr." Shion let a surprised look come over her face. "Jr.'s with you? Then—" The two on the communication monitor nodded. "Yeah, everybody's here. We came on the Durandal."

"The Durandal? That's unusual for you. What happened to the Elsa?" she asked. Shane bit her lip then looked away as chaos looked down at the console keyboard. "Umm…"

"chaos?" He looked up at her. "Actually, that's what I--I mean, _we_--need to talk to you about." He glanced at Shane who had a displeased look on her face. Shion tilted her head lightly; the pink-haired young woman groaning lightly. "Do you have some free time right now?" she asked in a somewhat irritated voice.

"Huh? Sure, but is something wrong?" The pink-haired young woman stopped herself from spouting venom at the woman whom she considered her "elder soul sister". "We'll head there now. Where do you want to meet?"

"How about the café near the Möbius Hotel?" Shion suggested as the two nodded. "Okay." The brunette smiled, nodding. "See you soon, then." With that, the communication monitor with chaos and Shane ended. The brunette sighed lightly then stood up, walking to the elevator. She nearly jumped when her portable computer began to emit a sharp beeping noise. "Oh, I've got mail?" She took it out from its holster on the back of her shorts and activated it. "It's from Doctus."

"_Hello Shion. I've compiled information and sent it to your database. Use it like a dictionary if you don't know some terms or forgot them_," the white-haired woman's voice said. "_Oh, and sometimes terms in the database will be updated with new information, so I suggest you look through them from time to time. I hope you'll use my gift wisely._" Shion smiled lightly.

"I appreciate it, Doctus." After the email recieved from Doctus, Shion's database became updated as she took the elevator down to the first floor and exited the hotel. _Café Stream is located by the south entrance of the First Business District,_ she thought to herself. The brunette then walked to the stairs, walking to the First Business District.

--

At Café Stream, chaos sat with Shane dressed in a pinkish-red and black goth lolita dress; her pink hair sitting on her shoulders; ponytails on either side of her head. A red headband was on her head as she drank her sparkling orange soda from a glass. "You know it's not everyday that Fifth Jerusalem gets a celeberity," the white-haired boy said looking at the people in the cafe along with the staff who practically stared in awe of his pink-haired girlfriend. "Hey, what can I say?" She turned and waved at a group of people holding magazines in their hands with Shane--or rather ShaRUKA--on the front cover. The group practically fainted, catching themselves before they hit the floor.

"So, you're enjoying the fame?"

"Yeah...but sometimes I wish I could pilot the Striker into battle but with that manager of mine...ugh, I'm starting to get sick of it." She pouted, turning back around as chaos held her hand gently. "But at least you're doing something fun and you like it...but what about--"

"The Federation?" She scoffed, placing some of her pink hair behind her ear. "I'm getting paid a lot...also I'm an decorated Lieutenant Colonel. I'm close to Helmer's position, aren't I?"

"...Not yet you're not." chaos smiled then leaned in to give Shane a small kiss while her fans squeeled in shock and excitement. "...We better not give them a show, babe."

"Of course." the white-haired boy told her with a small smile and glanced to see Shion walk inside, waving at her. "Shion, over here!" The brunette looked over, nearly blushing at the costume that Shane wore when she stood up from her seat. She walked over to them with a smile on her face. "Hey, you two lovebirds. You're both looking well...Shane...that lolita costume..."

"You like it? chaos helped me pick it out," the pink-haired young woman said with a grin.

--

"Commodore Jose Xavier, commander of the Andras fleet assigned to the Galaxy Federation Gedalya region, declared that his fleet had engaged with the Ormus fleet in the region. It appears that upon receiving this information, the Ormus fleet occupying planet Michtam commenced military action towards the Federation fleet in the region. The Andras fleet was sent to investigate an asteroid that was recently discovered in the Gedalya region," a female newsreporter said on the large tv screen across the room of the cafe. "For days now, the Andras fleet has been locked in a stalemate with the Ormus fleet, which claims ownership of the asteroid. At present, it is unclear why Ormus has dispatched a fleet to Gedalya space which is under Federation control. A spokesman for Ormus has stated that they have no desire for combat. It is believed that the Ormus fleet commenced military action after several of its requests to the Andras fleet to leave the region were ignored. After…"

Shane stared up at the tv with a bored look on her face as she sighed. _I was supposed to be deployed to Gedalya but the concert came first_, she thought to herself. "The Elsa's missing?!" Shion exclaimed breaking the girl from her self-induced trance. "We set out to investigate a floating object at the request of the Subcommittee. But the U.M.N. in that region of space suddenly shifted. We think they probably fell into an imaginary pocket."

"So, what happened to everyone?! Are they okay?" Shane waved her hand up and down. "Calm down, Shion," she said in a mature voice. "External communication's been cut off, so we don't know what's going on inside."

"I see...Unfortunately, I can't be of much help. You probably already know this, but I quit my job at Vector." chaos nodded at her. "Yeah, I heard from Jin."

"I'll try contacting Allen, but it sounds like KOS-MOS may be mixed up in something else," Shion stated as Shane shook her head lightly saying, "Ah, don't worry about it too much. Jr. said it wouldn't hurt to ask. Anyway, we just wanted to let you in on what's going on." The brunette nodded. "Sorry I can't be of more help." They looked up at the tv screen with the news still in progress.

"Due to the acceleration of the Gnosis phenomenon, the Galaxy Federation government has issued an evacuation order to planetary governments in the outlying areas of Gnosis activities. The Federation government has issued a statement that the Gnosis phenomenon that occurred last month in Ogdoas space has resulted in the disappearance of over one hundred planetary governments in that region. The Galaxy Federation government has established an emergency task force and deployed A.G.W.S. to the regions in question, but it is believe that it has not resulted in the reduction of the phenomenon. But it is…"

"...There are more incidents like this happening these days," chaos said with a small frown. "But at least they have a universal songtress to ease their minds." Shane grinned widely. The brunette looked at them. "Jin's still on it, isn't he?" The white-haired boy nodded at Shion. "Yes. He's on the Durandal right now, helping out with the Elsa's rescue."

"I see." Shion let a concerned look come over her face as chaos looked at her. "Are you worried?"

"Well, maybe a little. But it's not like he'd listen to me," she said holding her head some. Concern came over the couple's face. "...Shion? Are you all right? You look pale." She looked at them then smiled lightly. "Oh, I'm fine. I've just been a little tired lately." She gasped, clutching her head as she suddenly fell unconscious; her head falling onto the table top. "Shion!" chaos exclaimed, Shane standing up and shaking her shoulders. "Oi, Shion, wake up!"

--

Where am I? The brunette opened her eyes to see red-violet waves appear before her as she looked around, floating in mid air and surrounded by more waves...obviously not noticing the fact that she was naked.

_Shion..._

_These are...U-DO's waves? _she asked aloud.

_..Shion..? _a male voice called out to her.

_What? Is it calling me? Where are you? Who's calling me?_ She looked around again as the voice echoed once more. _Shion, a word to define an individual. Are you Shion?_ She nodded. _That's right. I'm Shion. Who are you?_ She looked ahead to see the silloutte of a man from a distance, her vision becoming blurred and dark...

--

Rewinding back (after Shion collapsed), chaos carried the unconscious but sleeping Shion on his back back to the Möbius Hotel as Shane walked beside him, her hands behind her back. "She's a heavy sleeper, isn't she?" the pink-haired girl asked. The white-haired boy nodded, walking into the hotel. "Yes, she is. But Shane, don't you think you should go to the concert hall _now?_" She stopped walking once he was near the elevator and nodded. "Yeah, I should...but I want a kiss before I go." He smiled at her as they shared a short yet passionate kiss.

"I'll see you later then?" he asked adjusting the sleeping beauty on his back.

"Yeah. Maybe I'll go visit Shion once she wakes up. But knowing her, she'll wake up tomorrow." chaos nodded and watched the lolita-dressed girl run to the door, waving good-bye to him. "Good luck, Shane."

--

A little white later, Shane made her way to the concert hall while avoiding her fans dressed in goth-styled clothing and holding up posters with her picture from the magazine cover of 'Chic' (a pop culture magazine sold over the universe). She walked through the backstage door with a triumphant grin on her face only to bump into a tall, effeminate man with black hair held back in a ponytail and wore a maroon suit. Oh, craaap...

"Nice of you to join us, Miss Shane," he said through gritted teeth pushing up the black rimmed glasses on his face. "Only 5 minutes late." She straightened up then growled lightly, walking past him as she walked behind a curtain; changing out of her lolita dress. "Oh, calm down, Hiwa, before you get a heart attack with this constant worrying." A 100-Series dressed in a blue lolita dress walked behind the curtain carrying a black and red bundle in her arms. "Here's your outfit, Miss Shane," she said in a cute voice.

"Thanks, sweetie." Shane took the bundle and patted the blue-haired girl's head who blushed, smiling at her then walked away to prepare of the concert. Hiwa watched the 100-Series Realian skip past him then looked to the silloutte of the pink-haired young woman. "Don't you think you're soft on those 100-Series? Those...Realians?" he asked her. She chuckled lightly, pulling on a pair of black stockings that had small red ribbons on the sides.

"I'm not soft; I'm nice and gentle to them...unlike some people," she said while the last of her sentence sounded like dripping venom. "You don't want a repeat of Old Miltia, do you?" The black-haired man narrowed his eyes lightly. "It's...almost as if you want that terrible day to happen again." She pulled on a black skirt, zipping it up along the side. _I'm hoping it won't... _The pink-haired girl pulled on a red long-sleeved blouse--a japanese schoolgirl's blouse; the ribbon white--then buttoned it up. Shane took down her hair from the two ponytails on her head then brushed it gently.

"Miss Shane, Miss MOMO has arrived from the space port!" another 100-Series--this one dressed in a dark blue lolita dress--called out. "Alright, bring my "baby sister" back here!" Shane walked out from behind the curtain as MOMO walked in the room, nearly gasping at the sudden change the young woman had made. "Shane...you look so pretty!"

"I knows...hey, you said you wanted to be on stage with your "big sis", right?" The pink-haired Realian nodded, blushing lightly when Shane placed her head on her beret. "Well...you might get your chance since Mary and Shelley are still trying to find the Elsa...But think of this as a means to relax." She grinned as MOMO squealed and hugged her tightly. "Oh, thank you, Shane!" she said trying not to cry. "Hehehe, it's okay...but we're gonna have to do a lil' costume change, 'kay?"

"Okay!"

--

In the concert hall, a large crowd of ShaRUKA's fans--about 20,000 of them at least--stood chanting her name as the band members gathered their instruments; the large video screen showing waves of blue and green moving about the screen. Suddenly the lights turned off, the crowd going still while murmuring slightly.

"What's going on?" a female voice called out. "Hey, someone turn back on the lights!" Almost like divine intervention, the lights came back on with two female sillouttes standing on the stage in red spotlight; holding their arms with their heads down. The music began to play, a resounding yet cheerful beat mixed in with liveliness as the two girls spread out their arms and leaned their heads backs, moving their hips to the beat.

"_Let this pressing thought make you realise you want to kiss me softly_

_Love is tainting the night deeply in scarlet.._"

The girls--MOMO and Shane--looked at the crowd, dancing across the stage while smiling at the crowd; the latter cheering loudly. The pink-haired Realian wore a schoolgirl uniform similar to Shane's, only that the blouse was a bit darker in color.

"_I turned back with a puzzling gaze at_

_The side of your face lit up by the moonlight,_" Shane sung as she placed her back against the younger girl who held her arms, leaning her head back.

"_It repeats on many nights_

_Exchanging our thoughts even from afar_," MOMO sang raising her hand up to the red light.

"_With a passionate yearning, embrace me on your chest and kiss my neck_

_Our sweet, trembling emotions will last forever_

_Trace this aching feeling you touched with your finger on your lips_

_With your gentle voice, whisper that you've fallen in love with me._" The crowd continued to cheer, singing along with the song as the girls continued to dance to the cheerful beat while in the shadows, a figure watched.

"_Shone by a faint light, you're too far away from me_

_It's too vague, and I can't fly with these wings,_" the pink-haired girl vocalized raising her hands; translucent white angelic wings appearing on her back--thanks to the advanced technology placed in her blouse--as the crowd watched in awe, cheering for more.

"_Starting from now, I'll get through the night_

_In search of your warmth._" Shane placed her hands on her chest, lowering her head with a small blush on her cheeks then held out her hand to the crowd, continuing to sing with MOMO.

"_Let this pressing thought make you realise you want to kiss me softly_

_My eyes are worn out from crying, so hold me, without words_

_Someday I will surely be able to tell you about this lightly-glittering heart_

_Love is tainting the night deeply in scarlet._" The figure in the shadows grinned lightly as they watched the songtress's show with intrest; the girls dancing on stage to the beat. "...So intriging...her voice, her music...it's almost as if she's placed her fans in a trance," the figure said in an analyzing voice.

"_It repeats on many nights_

_Exchanging our thoughts even from afar_," MOMO said placing her hands in an praying motion and continuing to dance with Shane.

"_With a passionate yearning, embrace me on your chest and kiss my neck_

_Our sweet, trembling emotions will last forever_

_Trace this aching feeling you touched with your finger on your lips_

_With your gentle voice, whisper that you've fallen in love with me._" The crowd continued to sing with the song as the girls placed their hands together; facing one another.

"_Let this pressing thought make you realise you want to kiss me softly_

_My eyes are worn out from crying, so hold me, without words_

_Someday I will surely be able to tell you about this lightly-glittering heart_

_Love is tainting the night deeply in scarlet_

_Even if we're apart, we believe we will never lose sight of each other..._

_Hold me, without words..._" The crowd cheered at the end of the song, the girls holding out their hands to the crowd with smiles on their faces. MOMO grinned at Shane while the young woman did the same. She looked out to the crowd then narrowed her eyes some, seeing a figure walk out of the concert hall. She felt a strange yet anticipating feeling go through her body.

_Something...something good's going to happen very soon..._

**Chapter 7: End**

**--**

**Whew, pretty good chapter eh? Anyway, I recieved some ideas from my muse Nim Maj who wanted to know if Shane (since she has the E.S. Striker) would get either:**

**A) The Freedom Gundam (would be called the E.S. Freedom)**

**B) The Justice Gundam (would be called the E.S. Justice or E.S. Justicina)**

**C) Another mecha like Omega Universitas (...?)**

**I'm basically going for an upgrade of sorts, not sure until I get there..also, he wanted to know if there will be another Durandal-class starship later on...that's up for discussion. But if others want to give me some ideas, then go right ahead! R&R first, ne? +Song of this chapter: scarlet by Brace'd; opening theme song to the Karin anime. ...OH! Does anyone want Shane to wear some more lolita costumes or dress like a goth girl? O (Yes for the lolita costumes) X (for the goth dresses) or N/A (for undecided).**


	9. Demonstration

**Chapter Eight: Demonstration**

It was morning on the planet of Fifth Jerusalem as the sunlight streamed into the room from the large windows. Shion moved from her bed then opened her sea green eyes, looking around. "...Where am I?" she asked aloud holding her head. "The hotel?" She sat up and yawned rather loudly, blinking a few times. "Oh, that's right. I met up with chaos and Shane, then I started feeling sick...chaos must have carried me here. I'll have to apologize later." Suddenly, her portable computer began to beep loudly as she picked it up from the side of the pillow, activating it to reveal Allen on the small communication monitor.

"Oh. It's you, Allen."

"Chief! What happened?" he asked concerned. "I've been calling you for a while." She looked at the man confused. "...Calling me? Did something happen?" He shook his head lightly. "That's what I want to know. Please tell me that you're okay!" She bit her lip some then gasped, covering her mouth in an surpised reaction. "Oh, the demonstration!"

"...Don't tell me you forgot. You're the one who said you wanted to go," Allen said with a somewhat shocked look on his face. "It's gonna start without you."

"I'm so sorry! I'll be right there. Where are you now?" she asked climbing out of the bed, straightening her jacket. "I'm down in the hotel lobby."

"Okay. I'll be right there." The communication monitor with Allen ended as she took a quick shower then took the elevator to the lobby (after she dried off and got dressed). Once she got to the lobby, she looked over to see Allen standing near the small fountain placed in the center of the room. "I'm sorry, Allen. I'll make it up to you later," she said running over to him. He sighed slightly, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it. Shall we go?" Shion nodded as they walked towards the exit. Allen had his head down then sighed again and stopped walking. The brunette looked back at him, stopping as well.

"What's wrong? You're awfully quiet. Is something on your mind?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Something's been bothering me," he told her when he looked up at her. "Huh? Sounds like something's up..."

"Hey, guys!" The two looked over to see the pink-haired songstress running over to them wearing a rather short black skirt (with a loose-fitting belt around her waist), red and black thigh-high stockings with black boots, red bands around her upper arms, a red and black bikini top (that looked a tad bit small), and a pair of black headphones on her head. The pink-haired young woman also had a bag on her back that had small black angel wings coming off the sides of them; a wire coming out of the bag and plugged into her headphones which acted like a headband for her hair. She stopped in front of them as she placed her hand on Allen's slumped shoulders. "I...almost...missed...ya'll," she managed to breathe out. He glanced down at her over revealing top then covered his nose, leaning his head back.

"...You okay, Allen?" He did a thumbs-up at Shion who looked to Shane. "So, is something the matter that you had to run, Shane?"

"Yeah. I decided that I would come with you guys whereever the hell you're going, ne?" The brunette blinked a few times then nodded some. "Um okay...so what's wrong, Allen?"

"Ah, yeah...You know Dmitri Yuriev, right?" he asked taking out a hankerchief from his back pocket and holding it against his nose. "The former Parliament member? He's Jr. and Rukia's father, right? What about him?" Allen let a serious look come onto his face as he looked to Shion. "Well...the Contact Subcommittee is...no longer in charge of the Zohar Project. It's been transferred to the military and is now headed by Dmitri Yuriev. The development of the next-generation key unit in this mock battle is also under his command."

"The military took over from the Subcommittee? That sounds pretty fishy." Shion looked to Shane who had her arms folded across her chest. "Did you know about this, Shane?" The girl shook her head. "No, I didn't. And I'm a Lieutenant Colonel, so I'm pretty much kept in the dark about this unfortunately." The man continued with his explaination, wiping the blood from his nose.

"Yes. I've heard a lot of ominous things about this next-gen unit," he said. "I've also heard the KOS-MOS project was canceled due to pressure from the government. I have a feeling something bad is going on up there..." The brunette placed her hand on her chin, tilting her head some. "Yuriev was a very charismatic member of the Federation Parliament, right?" Allen nodded at her. "I heard he also had the ears of the military."

"So, basically, he's a military man by nature while posing as some goverment official...right?" Shane asked the two as they nodded. "Right. So that's where the pressure came from. Still, what I did had some weight on what happened with KOS-MOS. Don't you think you are jumping to conclusions?" The man sighed lightly. "I'd like to think that, but—"

"You sound worried," Shion stated watching Allen step back a little bit. "...You'll understand when you see it, Chief." The brunette looked to him confused with Shane as they walked out of the Möbius Hotel. The pink-haired young woman placed her headphones over her ears (they were behind her ears), glancing at the two co-workers. "The Consolidated Advance Technology Testing Ground is on the east bay. It's a white, unusual building, so it's easy to spot."

"All right. Let's go."

"Lead the way, buddy," Shane said turning on the loud metal music that blasted in her headphones.

* * *

Later after walking through different streets and districts, the 3-person group made it to the obnoxiously white building that stood out from the others: the Consolidated Advanced Technology Testing Ground. Allen led the two ladies inside as Shane turned off the music from her headphones, whistling at how...clean the place looked. People dressed in different uniforms walked around; talking with one another; guards posted at doors along with mechas guarding the main entrance. _Sheez, and I thought the Durandal was clean_, the pink-haired girl said to herself.

"This is the core of the Zohar Project, humanity's final defense against the Gnosis," Allen told Shion and Shane. The brunette looked around in awe then looked to the man. "That's some security. I'll need to thank the Director." He smiled lightly, looking around as well. "It's a major project for the military-industrial complex. It's on a whole new scale now." A sudden beeping noise came from out of nowhere as the brown-haired man reached into his pocket, taking out his own portable gear. "Oh, someone's calling me." He activated it to show a black-haired man on the communication monitor.

"Chief! Where are you? If you don't hurry up, you'll miss KOS-MOS's performance," he exclaimed startling Allen some. "Oh, don't worry. We're already inside the facility and I brought along another guest." The black-haired man's eyebrows raised substantially. "Then Chief Uzuki is with you?...and another guest?" Shion walked over to stand beside Allen on his right side while Shane stood on his left. "Yeah, they're right beside—"

"Man, You go shoving work onto me, and now you're standing there grinning—"

"Wh-I'm not grinning!" he exclaimed blushing darkly. "I'm kidding. Don't take it so seriously. Anyway, just leave things over here to me. You three enjoy the show. Now, don't try to pull anything just because you're alone with those lovely ladies."

"Wh-shut up! What are you talking about?!" The black-haired man chuckled as the communication monitor ended. Allen groaned softly, putting his portable gear away with a frown on his face. He glanced at the two women who giggled lightly. "Now you're laughing, too!"

"Sorry. It's just, none of you have changed at all," the brunette said defending herself. "And it's funny too." He groaned again and hung his head in defeat. "Now you're making fun of me, too." The girls giggled then took his arms into theirs. "We're not, we're not!" Shane said with a grin. "Come on, let's go, Chief Ridgeley!" Allen blushed darkly as he led the girls towards the demostration room while getting wolf whistles and cat calls for the two young women on his arms.

_Geez...this is...so embaressing_, he thought to himself. One guard watched them enter the exercise area with a somewhat shocked look when he glanced at the pink-haired young woman on Ridgeley's left arm. "Hey...that wasn't...that songtress now, was it?"

* * *

Once inside the area, Shion and Shane let go of Allen's arms so that they wouldn't embaress him anymore. "I thought you would've liked the attention, buddy," the pink-haired girl said watching the brown-haired man bend over with his face reddened. "Unlike you, Shane, I don't get off on making fun of people..." She turned to him with a manic grin on her face, making him flinch. "How do you know I get off on shit like that?"

"...Nevermind, then."

"That's the exercise area? It's larger than I expected," Shion said looking outside to the exercise area from the large window. "It's almost like an army bombing range." Allen stood up straight and walked over to her with Shane. "...Yes. They're promoting it as an activation test along with a mock battle that's every close to real combat, but… Togashi thinks it's a demonstration by the Salvator faction. If funding gets approved, the military intends to start mass production of the new unit immediately." Shane looked to Allen with a confused look.

"The Salvator faction?" she asked. He looked at her, surprise on his face. "What? Shane, you should know about them by now...the Salvator Faction is a large, politically motivated group within the Galaxy Federation Government." The pink-haired girl narrowed her eyes then looked out to the exercise area. "Well, excuse me if I forgot...frickin' closet pervert who masturbates at night--"

"What was that?" he asked as she looked away. "Nothing, hun." Shion looked out to the area with a solumn look on her face. The brunette nearly jumped when the intercom came on. "We will now begin the start-up test in mock battle performance of the new model of anti-Gnosis humanoid fighting system," the female announcer said. "Now for this test, we will be using the mock battle form. Limiting output to 36 to normal." The 3 person group along with the rest of the people dressed in elegant futuristic business suits watched as a tower came up from the floor, lifting upwards; a female with long flowing white hair and dark skin stood on top of the tower: the new model of the anti-Gnosis humanoid fighting system.

Shion gasped at the appearance of the woman, covering her mouth. "That's…KOS-MOS?!" she exclaimed. "Are you surprised? She looks just like KOS-MOS." Shane narrowed her eyes at the android dressed in somewhat revealing clothes similar to that of KOS-MOS's--only that it was black, purple, and dark red with the occasional grey. She even had a protective cover hiding her eyes. "Development code TP-XX, also known as T-elos," Allen told the girls. "The ultimate, finished unit. A startling advancement in science, as they say."

"...T-elos." Shion glanced at the brown-haired man then back at the android now known as T-elos. "So, this is the source of your worries?" she asked. "Yeah, well, that's half of it. She's one-half of the new anti-Gnosis weapon system that was brought in to replace KOS-MOS as the core of the Zohar Project."

"Half? Wait a minute. I don't understand. You mean there's another one?"

"Yes. This one's fine. The problem lies with the other one," Allen said as the brunette bit her lip slightly. " Well, soon you'll understand. But don't be surprised if it shocks you when you see it." Shane held her nose, growling softly; her eyes turning yellow and her pupils slit. _You can smell it too, can't you Rukia?_

_**Yes**_, the other female persona said with a grim tone. _**Her smell...its a bit off, don't you think?**_

_But of course. Anyone who's been in battle before can smell the killing intent in someone's blood..._

As the test began, Gnosis--swarms of them big and small--appeared out of nowhere, flying around the exercise area; their screeching and roaring echoing in the confined area. "Those are Gnosis! And there's so many of them! But why are they here?!" Shion exclaimed. "The military requisitioned them from Vector for this demonstration. Although Chief...I believe that you would know more about that than me."

"Gnosis...Gnosis seized by Vector!" She pulled on a pair of familiar glasses as she pushed them up, pressing a small button to show a video camera installed then zoomed in on T-elos. The white-haired android stood on the tower, the swarm of gnosis began to circle her. She let an arrogant smirk come over her face. Then, the monsters fired laser beams at her; the tower where T-elos stood was severely damaged only that she wasn't affected by the attack. The gnosis saw their attack go unphased so they flew towards her as they ganged up on her, trying to bite and cling onto her human-like flesh...only to be knocked back by a sudden burst of power--the Hilbert Effect--from the white-haired woman, slamming the monsters into the walls.

T-elos jumped into the air, locking on to the monsters then moved her hand to the side swiftly, the gnosis getting destroyed in the process. Suddenly a large gnosis similar to a dragon appeared as it roared loudly to avenge its comrades who were killed so easily. The white-haired woman smirked as the monster flew towards her, firing a laser that destroyed the tower she was standing on that missed her since she had jumped in the air. She held out her left arm, releasing a sword from its hidden attachment and unleashed slashes onto the dragon gnosis. Once she was through, she practically sliced it like an onion, landing on another tower. She smirked as it blew up. The crowd inside the "audience box" stared in awe while some clapped.

"Hell, she put me and Jin-sempai to shame," Shane muttered. "Amazing! Her speed is incredible!"

"According to the specs, both her reaction time and Hilbert strength are three times KOS-MOS's combat frame. She's the Galaxy Federation's trump card." Allen looked to the pink-haired girl. "Guess Shane has competition, right _"Songtress of the Galaxy Federation?"_ She glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "I'd prefer _"Demon of the Federation"_."

"Who designed her?" Shion asked looking at the brown-haired man. "No one knows. Not even the staff were informed of where she actually comes from. If we could take apart the OS, we might be able to guess based on how the code's written, but the environment's proprietary, and we can't get anywhere close to it." Allen looked over to see a man with short blonde hair wearing a blue lab coat and blue pants stand on the stairs. "Oh, that over there is Roth Mantel," the brown-haired man explained, "the man in charge of the T-weapon development." The brunette looked over and gasped lightly. _...Huh! He looks...!_

* * *

Inside another computer room, Sellers and Dmitri were near a video screen as the wheelchair bound man was sitting in front of the console that houses the screen. They looked up at the video of Roth Mantel who chatted with two people. The blonde-haired man turned to a soldier that walked into the room, and saluted. "Did you find anything?" Dmitri asked.

"I'm sorry, sir. Nothing besides the resume that's been provided. We've investigated his supporters as well, but it's completely clean." He nodded as the soldier saluted again and left the room. He then looked to Sellers with a blank look. "What about you?" The man shook his head. "I've never seen him before," he said, "and I know the faces of everyone in my trade." Dmitri narrowed his eyes, stepping up some. "Hmm...I can feel _their_ waves from him."

"_"Their"_? You mean the Immigrant Fleet? You can tell?" The blonde man looked to the wheelchair man with a smirk. "Who do you think I am?"

"My apologies. All members of the Immigrant Fleet have at least some affinity to the waves from the Zohar. It's no surprise you can feel that. What will you do, then?" Sellers asked him. "We stick to the plan. If he is one of them, we'll merely use that to our advantage. And if he has no use to us, I'll dispose of him myself. Perhaps during the Michtam invasion that will begin soon. Heh."

"And what of the Federation's Ace?" The camera switched from Roth Mantel to Shane who stood with a rather displeased look on her face. "The _Federation Songstress_...She's the one who houses your _"daughter's"_ soul, correct?" Dmitri let a wide smirk come across his face. "Let me deal with her myself..."

* * *

Back in the exercise area, the 3-person group (Shion, Shane, and Allen) watched as KOS-MOS dressed in her newly designed frame that showed off a bit of her stomach and breasts walking forward from the trap door she arrived on. "Next, we'll begin a mock battle between anti-Gnosis humanoid weapon system and the new model human pilot weapon," the female announcer from before said. Shion gasped once she got a good look at the blue-haired woman.

Her _baby_, really. "KOS-MOS!" she exclaimed. What shocked her more was the sudden shaking as the floor opened up inside the contained area to show a large dark green mecha appeared, rising out from the floor. "That is—Omega? But how?"

"I told you you'd understand when you saw it. They're calling it Omega Res Novae," Allen said with a bit of concern in his voice. "None of us at Vector knows exactly where they got the designs for it." Shane narrowed her eyes a bit then lowered her head some. _I think I know... _

* * *

In Vector's computer room, the former employees who had worried looks on their faces stood around a communication monitor that showed KOS-MOS standing near Omega Res Novae. "Stay calm, just stay calm," Togashi told them. "It just looks tough, there's nothing to it. All right, KOS-MOS. Full power. Show no mercy and send it home packing."

"Acknowledged. I will respond with assault mode, referencing past combat data," KOS-MOS stated in her usual monotone voice. "Estimating forty seconds to enemy contact. Maximum output."

* * *

In another computer room (Omega Res Novae's), researchers wearing light blue labcoats as they hurriedly typed at their consoles. Juli Mizrahi was there as well, standing near another researcher while standing behind a man who typed at his console. "The pilot's condition looks good," she said looking over the pilot's vitals. "Yes. Nerve impulse values are nominal. Everything looks fine." The dark-haired woman looked up at the video screen.

"Can you hear me? You may hear some noises and see some light, but there's nothing to worry about. Just concentrate on the web patterns in front of you. You'll feel much better." The male researcher looked to Juli with a concerned look. "Dr. Mizrahi. Does he understand us?"

"I don't know," she said. "But I think it's more effective to say something than nothing at all." The researcher nodded some. "Is that like the pre-natal education that was popular during the Lost Jerusalem era? Even if he can't understand the meaning, the nuance and the intent of the speaker might get across."

"It's just to ease the mind. Our minds."

* * *

Back in the exercise area, KOS-MOS charged at the overly large mecha as the machine fired its laser beam from its pointed head, narrowly missing the blue-haired android who fired her gatling gun at Omega; he bullets practically bouncing off the dark green mecha. KOS-MOS leaped up from the tower, dodging the large mechanical hand and backflipping in the air. Once the woman was behind Omega, she immediately fired her laser cannon attack only to get knocked far back into the wall. Shion gasped then ran down a small flight of stairs towards the window, stopping herself from falling as she caught the rail.

_KOS-MOS...!_

The blue-haired woman quickly recovered and charged towards Omega again, unleashing laser showers at the large mecha, but it was not affected by the attack...again. KOS-MOS then landed on the floor as she charged at Omega again and jump kicked the machine in its face, knocking it to the floor.

--

In Omega Res Novae's computer room, alarms began to go off as Juli looked up at the monitor for the pilot's vitals then looked to the researcher next to her. "What's wrong?" she asked concerned.

"I don't know. The brainwave values are unstable. Pilot's mental state is abnormal."

--

Back in the exercise area, Omega began to fire its laser beam uncontrollably. As one of the beams was about to hit KOS-MOS, she activated her beam barrier, but Omega's laser was too much for the barrier and she was thrown against the shatterproof window, sliding downwards. Shion watched in horror as she gripped the railing lightly while bitting her bottom lip.

_...KOS-MOS...no..._

Shane watched with a grim look on her face only to have her now gold eyes widen in horror then clutching her head. She closed her eyes tightly to see if she was hearing right. _**Shane, what's the matter?!**_Rukia exclaimed in a concerned voice. _I thought...I heard...someone screaming..._ She looked up at the fallen Omega as it continued to fire its laser beam uncontrollably. _**Someone screaming?...now that you mention it...I heard screaming too..**_

_It was a kid...and he was..in pain..._

--

"Cut the link to the emulator! Hurry! If it keeps up we'll lose control!" Juli ordered in Omega's computer room as the researchers hurriedly typed at their consoles. Then, the alarm suddenly stopped, bringing relief to the older woman's face. She placed a bit of her hair behind her ear and looked to the researcher next to her. "How's the pilot?"

"His brain waves have stabilized," he told her. "Recover Omega and force-eject the cockpit. Get him out of there, _now_."

* * *

Back in the exercise area (again), Shane placed a shoulder on Allen's shoulder. He looked at her with a saddened look only to have the girl squeeze his shoulder gently. "It'll be alright. I'm sure KOS-MOS is alright." She patted Shion's shoulder to reassure her since she almost looked ready to cry. "It's a pleasure to see you, Chief Ridgeley," a blonde haired man said in a smooth voice walking to the 3-person group. "It's a shame about KOS-MOS." The pink-haired girl looked over then narrowed her now blue eyes as they turned to the man: Roth Mantel.

_Yeah, I bet it is_, she thought to herself. _**Shane, behave yourself, hun. **_"Please don't worry yourself." Roth nodded to him then looked to Shion and Shane with a small smile. The pink-haired girl blinked at him, covering her chest with her arms. She pointed at her face. "Hey, eyes up here, blondie. Not down there; they're fun to look at, yes, but keep ya eyes up here." The blonde-haired man blinked then chuckled lightly. "Shane, don't insult him like that!" Allen yelled at her. "Though, you could've been a bit more...conspicuous.."

"Who's your companions?" Roth asked the flustered man. Allen looked to Shion and the pink-haired girl who insulted the blonde man. "Oh, she's one of KOS-MOS's designers, Shion—"

"Ah! You must be Shion Uzuki. It's an honor to meet you. And you must be the Federation Songstress, ShaRUKA, correct?" He noticed the brunette's shocked yet haunted look on her face. "What is it? Is there something on my face?"

"...What?" she said shaking her head as Shane nodded at the ShaRUKA comment, placing her hands on her hips. "Special Adviser, Roth Mantel," the female announcer called out. "Please report to the T-elos' Maintenance Room." The blonde-haired man looked up at the ceiling then back at the 3-person group. "Oh, excuse me," he said with a slight bow.

"You seem quite busy." Roth chuckled lightly, nodding some. "We're still in the middle of development, so there's much I have to see to. I hope we can speak more leisurely at some later time. Good day." He started to walk off only to stop near Shane and take her hand into his. "I'm a big fan of yours, Miss Shane. I saw your concert last night on television. You and that other young lady were really amazing."

"Ah, um, thank you?" she said with a light blush. She felt her face burn even more when he kissed her hand. "It's too bad I wasn't there to see it myself...I would've been entranced just like the audience." Roth let go of her hand and walked out of the exercise area. "What's with his attitude? Anyway, let's go."

"Yes." Shion and Allen were about to walk away only to see the pink-haired girl still standing where she was. "...Shane, are you alright?" the brunette asked walking back over to her. "I think she went into shock...he did kiss her hand, Chief."

"...He did?" Shane pulled Shion's cheek hard, hearing the older woman squeak in distress. "Shion Uzuki, I have a right mind to do this to you since you _**never pay attention!**_" the young woman said with a displeased yet red face. "Owie...I'm sorry!" Allen watched them as he sighed. "And to think Chief's the older one..."

**Chapter 8: End**

**--**

**Okay, I got mixed votes (1 for B and/or 1 for C). And I might go with B, not sure. R&R and keep voting!**


	10. Termination

**Chapter Nine: Termination**

Afterwards, the 3-person group walked out of the exercise area room and outside where everyone seemed to stare at Shane along with her permiscuous outfit. Shion looked to the girl who looked calm (for now) as she rubbed her redded cheek. "...That hurt, Shane. I'll get you back when you least expect it." The pink-haired girl looked at her then grinned manically at her. "I'll be waiting for it."

"Oh, what would be the point then?" Shane snickered, covering her ears. "Shit...that announcer is really getting on my nerves.." They took the transporter to another area then got out at the stop, walking to where the Vector employees were.

"Shion?" a familiar voice called out. The group stopped as the brunette turned around to see Juli standing in the hallway with a somewhat tired look on her face. "SPLEE, ITS MY MOMMA!!" Shane yelled while startling everyone in hearing range. She immediately clung to the dark-haired woman who gasped lightly. "Ah...nice to see you again too, Shane...and I'm not your mom, remember?" Shion chuckled lightly, walking up to Juli. "It's good to see you again."

"Shane...I have to walk, okay?" The pink-haired girl pulled away with a mewling effect as they followed the woman to another room. "I don't think we've seen each other since the Gnosis terrorism. You look well." Once in the (break) room, Juli sat down at the table as she crossed her legs with a small smile. Shane sat down on a couch with a sigh, rubbing her shoulder lightly. "I didn't realize you were here, too," Shion said to the older woman. "Yes, the Subcommittee is involved in the project as well. Of course, all I'm actually doing is measuring values and babysitting. I heard from your brother what happened. You've had a tough time."

"...You've seen Jin?" The woman nodded. "Yes, he's been doing jobs for me frequently," she said. "You haven't seen him lately? I heard the Durandal is in port. Jin should be with them." The brunette looked to the side, scratching her cheek lightly. "Oh, uh it's just—since that incident, we've been having a hard time talking with each other..."

Juli nodded some. "I get it. I'm sure he's worried about you. You should at least say hello." Shion smiled some. "I'll try," she said only to get punched in her thigh by Shane. "Oww! Shane, wha--" She stood up as she pulled the brunette's reddened cheek again and making her squeak again in distress. "You better go say 'hi' to Jin-sempai, alright? He's getting grey hairs 'cause of you."

"Alright, alright, I will...whenever I see him.." The doors hissed open as everyone turned their head to see a boy no younger than 7 or 8 walk into the room. His light brown hair was held back in a ponytail while wearing a white suit similar to that of a hospital patient's gown--only with pants. He was also barefoot; his hazel eyes dim and somewhat blank. That boy... "Hmm? What is it, Abel?" Juli asked as he walked over to her. He glanced down at a blue marker on the table, the woman picking it up and holding it out to him. "Is this what you want? Here you go." The boy--now known as Abel--took the marker without saying anything then walked over to a nearby corner, kneeling down as he began to draw on the floor.

"A child?" Shion asked watching him. "Eee, he's so cute, Momma--I mean, Juli! When did you adopt?" The dark-haired woman sighed lightly, smaking the young woman on her arm (the latter hissing at the older woman). "No, I didn't adopt, Shane. His name is Abel. My primary job is to facilitate smooth communication with him," Juli explained. "I understand. But why with a child so young?" The two women watched Abel continue to draw on the floor.

"Because this young man is an invaluable member of the Zohar Project."

"He's involved with the Zohar Project?"

Shane looked at Allen with a confused face. "Did you know this?" she asked as he shook his head. The pink-haired girl stood up once the brown-haired boy finished his drawing, looking at the young woman. She walked over to him then kneeled down in front of him. "Hey, Abel. My name's Shane." He stared at her only to be hugged, squeaking lightly. Juli looked on with a small smile. _He's letting someone hug him...that's a good start, I suppose._ "You be careful now, you hear?" He nodded some almost nuzzling in her soft "pillows" and pulled away, walking out of the room. The brunette sighed lightly then looked over to the drawing, gasping softly.

"This is Nephilim. How does he know what she looks like?" she asked aloud as Shane looked at the drawing with a concerned look. "All phases of the performance program are now over," the female announcer said over the intercom. "Supervisors for each weapon are requested in the conference room." Juli stood up from the table as she sighed some.

"Well, it looks like T-elos's data feedback is done. Now I have to go entertain government officials. Honestly, I can't believe I'm spending time on something like that." Shion and Shane giggled lightly while the woman smiled some. "Oh, Shion. Why don't you go see your friends?"

"What? But that's—" The woman smiled at her. "The areas past section 7 are security level B, but you shouldn't have any problem. After all, you were a major contributor to the KOS-MOS project. I'll contact security." The brunette blinked a few times before smiling back. "Thank you."

"Use the transporter from the terminal up ahead. You should be able to get to Vector's research wing from there. Oh, and Shane?"

"Nn?" The pink-haired girl looked back at the woman with a somewhat tired look. Juli smiled at her then pulled her cheek making the younger girl whine lightly. "Oww...is this punishment for letting MOMO sing on stage with me last night?"

"Yes," the dark-haired woman replied plainly.

* * *

Afterwards, the 3-person group walked out of the break room and proceeded to the area past Section 7. There, they took the transporter that was available: No. 4 to the No. 2 area. "Everything's the fucking same, Allen," Shane muttered lightly as the brown-haired man nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Geez...give me some credit here." The group made their way through a large room; a bridge built over their heads. Ahead of them was a light blue mecha in front of a large door.

"Wait, this is a VX-7000!" Shion exclaimed, stopping to look at the mecha. "It's because of the Gnosis terrorism. Since we don't know when or where they'll attack, the top brass is leaving nothing to chance."

"I see. Vector's participating, too, so I guess it's only natural," Shane said with her arms folded. The brunette lowered her head some. "Does it bring back memories?" She looked up at Allen and nodded. "...Well, yeah." They began to walk again; the pink-haired girl looking at their backs as she held her head gently. She watched images of a girl with blue hair that went past her shoulders walk behind two others who faces were blurred out for some reason.

_The hell?_ Shane thought shaking her head some. She continued to follow the two adults--even if she was one herself--to Vector's laboratory as an (annoying) voice echoed in her ears. "Chief!" The pink-haired girl backed up when Shion's friends approach her with smiles on their faces to see their "flower" return to see them. "Welcome back, Chief," a Vector researcher told her the brunette nodding with a smile.

"I'm glad everyone is looking well. Too bad about what happened down there." The black-haired man (Togashi) rubbed the back of his head with a small chuckle. "Well, considering what she was fighting, I think she did a pretty good job."

"Yes, you're right. By the way, could you stop calling me Chief?" she asked with a wave of her hand. "I don't work here anymore." Togashi shook his head at her. "No matter where you go or what you become, you're still our dear Chief." He looked to Allen with a small smirk. "Right, Chief Ridgeley?" The brown-haired man nearly jumped at the sound of his name, nodding slowly with a light blush on his cheeks. "Huh? Oh, uh, well, yeah." The pink-haired girl chuckled lightly then looked away when she was introduced to Allen's glare.

"Thanks, guys. Where's KOS-MOS?" Shion asked watching their faces turn into frowns or discomfort looks. "...She got beat up pretty badly, so she's undergoing maintenance." The brunette felt her heart come up into her throat as she looked to the maintenance bed with a saddened look. "KOS-MOS, you're still doing your best." She looked to the side. "But what am I doing? What would you think of me if you saw me now?"

"Chief…" The brown-haired man walked over to the woman who turned to him. "Hmm?"

"I guess you're concerned about KOS-MOS," he told her only to watch Shion shake her head. "Oh, it's not that, I—After seeing KOS-MOS and everyone, I just feel like you've all left me behind. That's all." He frowned at her. "...Chief.."

"I'm sorry. I think I'll be going. Thanks for everything today." Shane stepped to the side as the brunette began to walk to the door. "Chief! Um, tomorrow!" She stopped walking then looked back at a trembling Allen who had a dark blush on his face. "T-tomorrow, would you like to go out for a bite in the city? I found this great restaurant the other day and—"

"Sure, sounds good," Shion said with a smile. "Yeah, I figured you'd be busy. Then, maybe next time—" Shane growed lightly at his low self-esteem. "She said, sure, damnit! Get it together!"

"Huh? What? R-really?" The brunette nodded at him, a look of relief coming over his face abeit him still nervous. "Yeah. When would be a good time? I'm free all day." He rubbed the back of his head some. "Uh, um, okay, let's meet in the hotel lobby at 7PM. I'll come get you."

"Okay. I'll be waiting."

"Th-th-thank you! See you then! Good night!" Allen said nervously as Shion left. "Good night." Shane started to walk out of the room only to be stopped by a tap on her shoulder. "Um, excuse me?" She turned to a small group of Vector employees (male and female) with Chic magazines. "We didn't know that Chief Uzuki and Chief Ridgeley were friends with you, the Federation Songstress!" The pink-haired girl held up her hands, chuckling lightly.

"Goes to show what Allen doesn't say," she said as he looked over. "I did tell them! They didn't believe me!" She giggled lightly, signing the magazines with a marker she was handed. "Excuse me." Shane gasped then turned her head to see the blonde man from before...who kissed her hand waltz into the room as he looked around the place with a stuck-up look. _Ah, hell... _"Is this the KOS-MOS maintenance room? It's smaller-scale than I expected." He looked over to the pink-haired girl with a small smile.

"Special Adviser Roth Mantel?" Togashi asked in an somewhat angered voice walking over to the man. "Why are you here? Did you come to gloat to the losers?" Allen walked over, grabbing the black-haired man's shoulder. "Calm down, Togashi." He bowed his head to Roth slightly. "I apologize. What can we do for you?"

"Oh, that's quite all right. What he said isn't exactly wrong."

"...Excuse me?" Shane narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched a smug look come over the blonde man's face. "I mean, I came here to finish off the losers," he told the Vector employees. "I need you to gather your things together at once." Instant gasps and shocked replies echoed around the room; a surprised look coming over Togashi's face. "Wait a minute! What about KOS-MOS's repairs?"

"There's no need. KOS-MOS will never awaken again."

"What are you talking—" Allen flinched lightly when Roth handed him a file document. "This will explain it." The brown-haired man began to read over the document while Shane walked over, reading over his shoulder. "What? Decision to dispose of KOS-MOS…? What the hell is this?!" he exclaimed in an angered voice.

"It's exactly what it says. The Subcommittee voted on the decision a short while ago. There is no need for us to waste our resources. So, we're pouring it all into T-elos's development. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid she's going to be scrapped."

Allen gripped the papers tightly then looked back at KOS-MOS's maintenance bed. "...I can't believe it," he said in a shocked voice. "How can they scrap KOS-MOS?" The pink-haired girl narrowed her eyes as she looked to the brown-haired man. "...She'll awaken again, you guys. I'm sure of it."

"Oh? The Federation Songstress is sure of this fact?" Roth asked in an amused voice. But of course, Shane amused him with her antics. "Unlike you or the weak-ass Subcommittee--save Juli--KOS-MOS won't give in that easily." Shane turned to the Vector employees and bowed. "I wish you guys the best of luck with everything." She turned and walked out of the room as Roth followed after her.

"Miss Shane...you do realize you're putting yourself in a position to lose your military status, correct?" She stopped walking then glanced back at him with a dark look. "...What'd you say, blondie?" she asked coldly. "Ah, that murderous intent in your eyes. No wonder you're called the Black Angel. You took out an entire gnosis fleet all by yourself with the help of a Hilbert Effect amplifier installed on your machine--your first military battle. Even though your craft was damaged, you came out of with minor injures...with a haunted look on your face." She gripped her fists tightly, walking over to Roth and punching him across the face as his glasses fell to the floor along with blood.

"You, Roth Mantel, have no right in talking about past events. You better be glad I'm nice...otherwise I could've killed you." He knelt down and picked up his glasses, placing them back on his face. "I know you could have," he said looking at her with a small smile. He had a bruise on his face; a small cut under his eye. "You are Dimitri Yuriev's _granddaughter_, aren't you?"

"That's none of your business...now if you'll excuse me..." Shane turned and walked to the elevator as Roth smirked. "Now I know for sure...its the _other_ maiden inside you...Shane Kukai-Lee..."

**Chapter Nine: End**

**--**

**O.o Shane punched Roth Mantel? I guess that's what you get for delving into people's pasts/profile/information thingy. Anyway, R&R. You may get a lemon chapter next. ;3**


	11. A Hidden Truth, Love of Two Angels

**Chapter Ten: A Hidden Truth, Love of Two Angels**

A little while later at the Möbius Hotel in room 701, Shion sat at the computer terminal with her arms folded as she spoke with Doctus via communication monitor. "So, this is the footage from the T-weapon demonstration?" she asked in a surprised voice. "You've got guts recording secret government information right out in the open...and with one of the Federation's dogs. I bet you could earn a pretty penny if you became a GNN reporter." The brunette rolled her eyes at the woman.

"Stop joking and take a look at it. And Shane's not a dog of the Federation. Do you think you can extract any data from this footage?"

"Not right away. I'll need some time." Shion sighed in relief. "Please try. This T-weapon and on unknown developer are the core of the government's project," she said. "I'm sure we can find all sorts of things once we start poking around." Doctus nodded some then looked at the brunette behind her goggles. "So, you think Vector is involved in this as well? But they canceled KOS-MOS's development, right? Aren't they being a little roundabout?"

"True. But the way T-elos looks, I can't believe Vector isn't involved. Something we know nothing about is happening quickly."

"All right. Leave it to us," the white-haired woman said. "Also, there was something interesting in the data from the other day..." Shion looked up at the screen with a concerned look on her face. "...Is it information about my father?" Doctus shook her head some. "No, we haven't found that yet. But we did find a keyword: Canaan."

"Canaan? You mean, _that_ Canaan?" Shion asked only to watch the woman on the communication monitor shake her head slowly. "No, not the Realian." Somewhere on Fifth Jerusalem, a certain orange-haired man sneezed. "We think it's a name of some program or system used for observation or investigation."

"Canaan…" Doctus continued her explaination on the matter. "We don't have the details on its objective, but one thing is clear: Vector has been using this "Canaan" for over one hundred years to search something." Shion nodded some. "Can you find out some more about it?" she asked watching the woman smirk lightly. "We can, but it'll cost extra."

"What? You're going to charge for it?!"

The woman laughed at her and shook her head at the fuming brunette. "Just kidding. It may have something to do with that Realian, so it's on the house." With that, the communication monitor ended as Shion stood up from her seat. She began to stretch only to see a faint shimmer in front of her then gasped once a familiar apparition from before appeared. "Huh!? Nephilim. What is it?" The orange haired girl looked to her then glanced down at the floor. "Trying to protect someone does not always lead to happiness."

"...What?"

"Grimoire...only wanted to find me. But that made a great many people suffer," she said in a solemn voice.  
With him gone, the Gnosis phenomenon should have stopped expanding. But it didn't. Shion, the Gnosis phenomenon happening now is not caused by Lemegeton. A certain being is leading this universe to destruction." Shion tilted her head slightly, confused at the young girl's strange riddle. "Destroy the universe? Who would do that?"

Nephilim continued with her words. "A sad individual who continues to exist for his own atonement. He hopes for happiness of the one important to him, but that will bring suffering to many."

"Atonement? Important to him?" The brunette asked as the young girl nodded. "Yes, for that person who is important to him, he feels it is acceptable to throw away this world." She looked down for a moment then back at Shion. "Shion. The only one who knows where we are headed is KOS-MOS. The only one who can open KOS-MOS's heart is you and Shane as well. So, please—" Nephilim began to vanish slightly, the brunette reaching for her.

"Wait." The girl suddenly vanished as Shion looked to where Nephilim was standing with a questionable look. "Nephilim… KOS-MOS's heart...and Shane?"

* * *

"I knew I wouldn't be able to tell her."

"I know."

chaos and the translucent Nephilim sat on a high ledge of one of Fifth Jerusalem's buildings enjoying the magnificant view. The white-haired boy looked at the sun setting into the sea while the girl sitting next to him watched with him. "The truth is too hard for Shion right now," she said. "If she let it pass without knowing, it would be so much easier." He looked down to the ground below with a serious look on his face.

"Learning the truth...doesn't always lead to happiness. They might even be better off if they live without it. But sometimes, the truth seeks you out. I think the fact that Shion is here is telling us that. She must learn the truth."

"Maybe so. But it's only a matter of time before Shion's heart and body are—" chaos gripped his hands tightly. "What if that's inevitable? My existence and yours…even Shane's may be an inevitable part of this world where all things flow to a certain point. If our reason for existing is that we are meant to exist—"

"I don't think there's only a single future. A single human thought can change the world," Nephilim told him in a concerned voice. "You're the one who taught people that." He chuckled dryly somewhat then looked up at the sky. "What I can do is limited. I still don't even know how I should use this power. Why am I allowed to exist?"

"chaos…"

"I want to believe in the existence of order born from discord. That's why I'm with them...and her as well." He felt the sudden vibration from his pants pocket as he took out a white cellphone and smiled lightly when he saw whose number it was, answering it. "Yes?" A small sigh of what sounded like relief came over the other end. "Hey, boo."

"Hey, Shane. Is something the matter? You sound a bit flustered..."

"Flustered, huh? That's putting it lightly," the young woman's annoyed yet calm voice told him. "Think you could come back to the hotel room and see me? I need to cuddle." chaos chuckled lightly as he stood up balancing himself on the ledge. "Alright. I'll be right over." He hung up the phone, putting back in his pocket then looked to Nephilim. "Do you plan on telling her yourself?" The white-haired boy looked at his hands and gripped them tightly.

"I plan to...since it's these hands that keep her sane."

* * *

Later at the Möbius Hotel, Shane sat at the window of her room--Room 607--with a distant look on her face. She had changed out of her revealing costume (while getting stared at on her way back to the hotel) and dressed in more comfortable clothes: a grey tanktop that had a pentagram on the front and black sweatpants with her hair pulled back in a messy pink ponytail. She was still angered by the fact that a man she didn't even know existed (besides the fact that she can tell who it is) until now kissed her hand, said he was one of her fans, and went into her personal information.

_That Roth Mantel_, Shane thought to herself. _Why'd the fuck did he go through my stuff for...?_ She cursed under her breath as she stood up from the chair. She glanced at the 3-digit number on her right arm--700--then gripped it tightly. _**Shane, you need to calm down.**_ "It's kinda hard to do when that arrogant bastard or bastards decided to cancel the KOS-MOS project...and then there's Shion. Good god, it's like the whole _**fucking**_ universe revolves around her dense behind!" Rukia sighed in the other girl's subconcious.

_**Are you through with your ranting now?**_

"No...well yes, 'cause I need my baby." Shane stalked over to the large bed, laying down on the soft mattress, beginning to whine softly. "chaos..." She closed her eyes and snapped her fingers. A cream-colored veil came over the window as the room dimmed to give it a soft light. The pink-haired girl sighed softly only to hear the doors hiss open, the sounds of light footsteps coming over to her. She moved over some then lifted her head to see his smiling face.

"Hey," he said in a gentle voice. "Did you have a good day?" She grunted at her white-haired boyfriend as he sat down beside her, moving a gloved hand over loose bangs of her hair. She grabbed his hand by his wrist then sat up slowly. "..chaos. How come you never take off your gloves?" He looked at her strangely and glanced to the side. "I...just choose not to."

"Well, can I take them off?" chaos turned to her then started to pull his hand away only to have Shane hold his wrist tightly. "I, um, okay," he muttered. He watched the girl unfasten the buttons that were holding onto his glove via his sleeve then pulled off the blue leather glove to show pale, dark skinned hands. She ran her fingers across his palm which was smooth and soft to the touch. The pink-haired girl smiled as she placed his hand against her cheek. "Miii, chaos," she purred, "your hands are so warm.." He blushed darkly at her comment only to pull his hand away from her and start taking off his other glove.

"Ah, chaos..?" Shane started to blush once he began to take off his coat then unzipping the dark blue long-sleeved shirt. _**Yup, you two are gonna have fun. So I'm gonna go and sleep now**_, Rukia said with a slight giggle. _Don't even kid like that..!!_

"We haven't...I mean..." The white-haired boy gulped slightly as he tensed up when Shane held his own ungloved hands. "It's okay...I understand," she said with a smile. "We're boyfriend and girlfriend...we're old enough to...fool around alittle." He nodded, biting his bottom lip watching her move his unzipped shirt open to show a rather muscled chest and stomach. _Oh dear..._ She felt her face heat up as she moved her hands down his neck, his broad shoulders (regardless of his small size), chest, and stomach. Shane squeeked softly.

"Is something wrong?" he asked her watching her shake her head some. "I-I'm alright...just a bit scared.." chaos sighed lightly, realizing that she was just as scared and nervous as he was. "Ah...I see. Then we're both feeling the same thing." She blushed lightly then smiled, hugging him gently. "Yeah...we're both scared." The white-haired boy nodded and touched the right side of Shane's face with his ungloved hand. The two closed their eyes as they kissed each other: a simple yet passionate kiss; her arms around his neck holding his white locks, his arms around her waist resting in the small of her back. The two teens kissed for what seemed like a eternity then pulled away for air.

"...oh..wow."

"...A bit forceful?" chaos asked before getting hugged again. "No...just right."

* * *

At the Consolidated Advance Technology Testing Ground (or CAT Testing Ground for short) in a computer room, Juli sat at a computer console while Canaan leaned against the desk with his arms crossed. "There's nothing suspicious in the data concerning this man called Roth Mantel," he told the woman in his usual monotone voice. "I checked Vector as well to be sure, but there was no information on him at all." She nodded at him slowly.

"I'm sure Dmitri's done that as well. But why has he placed him at the core of the project now?"

"Perhaps that's just how attractive the T-weapon system is. It's also possible he wanted to eliminate Vector's influence."

"Yes, but I bet there's more to it than just that," Juli said with a questionable hint. The orange-haired man looked at her then got off the desk. "I also have information regarding the Elsa. In order to break through that hypersphere, we will need output on the level of the phase transfer cannon equipped on Omega." The dark-haired woman looked at him and shook her head, sighing. "That's not going to happen. We can't use it considering how unstable its systems are. And besides, Dmitri would never authorize it."

"Then breaking through that hypersphere is impossible with current Federation technology." Juli looked at him again with a shocked look. "...You mean we'll have to give up on rescuing the Elsa?" Canaan sighed at her then shook his head. "No, I just said it can't be done with Federation technology," he said. "According to my database, there are two weapons capable of breaking through it."

"Two weapons?" Juli asked. "KOS-MOS's Tertiary Weapons System and the special launch equipment that the E.S. Striker has. She is capable of the same output as an E.S. So she may be able to break through. If not, the E.S. Striker--with its launch equipment dubbed METEOR which is significantly stronger--can break through."

"KOS-MOS is already slated for disposal, so it's just as unlikely as your first suggestion and also the Federation military wouldn't let Shane use that equipment. Is your situational analysis capability defective? How are we supposed to equip KOS-MOS with her Tertiary Weapons System…and send her to that region of space?"

"With all due respect, you are the one who is unable to analyze the situation, Dr. Mizrahi," Canaan said stepping away from her then looked back. "That freighter infiltrated a region of space under martial law for an illegal expedition. Officially, it doesn't even exist. If you want to rescue something that doesn't exist, you'll have to take a certain amount of risk."

Juli looked at him with a shocked expression. "You mean—" He nodded at her. "Yes. KOS-MOS has already been thrown out. That doesn't mean we can't reuse her." The dark-haired woman chuckled lightly. "You certainly don't think small, do you?"

"I was designed specifically for such objectives."

* * *

"...What did you say?"

"I said to abandon it. Did you not hear my words?"

In a large dimly lit cathedral, Margulis kneeled before a hovering white light with a shocked expression on his face. "Pardon my words, but Omega was originally ours. How can we abandon it?" he asked. The light didn't say anything, his silence getting to the burgandy-haired man. "...Your Eminence, please, order its recovery."

"There is no need." The man narrowed his eyes at the floor as he looked up at the light. "Then, please, tell me why. I did not understand our retreat at Rennes-le-Château. And now this. Please, tell me your thoughts, your Eminence." The white light shimmered lightly. "Omega has returned to its rightful master. And I have already taken measures to deal with the Zohar Project," the male voice from the light said. "There is no need for you to interject, Chief Inquisitor."

Margulis lifted his head as a shocked expression came onto his face. "Its rightful master? Are you saying that it did not belong to us? That's the first I've heard of it. In fact, fifteen years ago, on Miltia, I—"

"_**Know your place, Margulis**_. Do you intend to let your desire overcome you and destroy your faith, like Sergius?" The burgandy-haired man tensed up, lowering his head again. "N-no, of course not, Your Eminence. My apologies," he told the light with a slight tremble in his voice. "You sound tired, Margulis. Rest for a while. You are dismissed."

"Yes, Your Eminence."

"Margulis, everything is God's will. There is no need for concern. Do not question. Do as I say, and all will be well."

* * *

Later in Wilhelm's office on the Dammerung, the white-haired man looked to a monitor where a commercial was playing about ShaRUKA's second concert as he looked to the Red Testament who stood near his desk; bowing some. "All preparations are complete." Wilhelm smiled lightly then looked to the Testament. "Good. This spiral cobweb will capture their hearts," he said in a calm voice. "And when it does, they will willingly wrap its threads around themselves in order to find the truth."

"Why do humans insist on searching?"

"The human mind holds limitless potential. If they continue to seek and search, they shall eventually become gods. That's probably what they believe." Wilhelm looked to the monitor as he watched the pink-haired songstress sing on stage that was recorded from the night before. "What we can do is limited. For precisely that reason, we need a world that is fitting for us. And we are the only ones who can accomplish that. Dreams, future, possibilities. The Princess was born to start the illusions while she was born to put an end to these fleeting illusions. Everything follows the destined flow."

* * *

At the CAT Testing Ground near Vector's laboratory, Allen walked out into the hallway with a saddened yet worried look on his face as he ran his hands through his hair. He looked like he had been run over by a speeding train and survived. "How am I supposed to explain this to the Chief?" he asked aloud. "There's no way I can tell her that KOS-MOS has been slated for disposal..." He groaned softly then walked towards the elevator with his head hung low.

"It's dangerous to get lost in thought while walking," a familiar voice called out as the brown-haired man looked back to see Juli who had walked out of a room adjacent to the laboratory. "What?! Oh, Committee Member Mizrahi. Can I do something for you?" She smiled at him lightly then walked over to him. "Could I speak to you for a moment, Chief Ridgeley?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I want you to get in touch with Shion soon," she said. "Do you know their personal contact information?"

"Sure, that's no problem, but what's going on?" The dark-haired woman looked at him with a concerned look. "They've decided to dispose of KOS-MOS, correct? I need to speak to her about that. I'd like to come along as well, of course." Allen let his worried expression come back. "Oh, that's right, of course you'd know about that...Actually, I was just trying to figure out how I'm going to tell her about KOS-MOS."

"Relax. I won't let them dispose of KOS-MOS. That's what we're going to talk about," she told him.

"...Huh?"

* * *

Afterwards in the Möbius Hotel (room 701), Shion sat at the computer terminal as she spoke with Doctus via communication monitor; the video of T-elos's demonstration playing on a smaller screen. "I watched that footage," the woman said in an interested voice. "It's certainly astonishing." The brunette nodded at her. "So, did you find out anything?"

"We did some research on T-elos, but we found no relevant information in any database. Everything from its official project proposal to the budget is a complete blank."

"What about his supporters?" the brunette asked. "Did he erase everything about him in order to preserve secrecy?" Doctus shook her head at the questions. "No, no records ever existed in the first place." A surprised expression came over Shion's face at what the woman had said. "...How is that possible? It's being used by the military...Shane might know something.."

"You did say that the girl was a simple Lieutenant Colonel and the Federation's Songstress, right? I doubt they even told her. It beats me, but that's the truth," Doctus said folding her arms. "But, you know, if he's clean on the surface, he's probably dirty as hell deep down. Hey, is it possible to transfer KOS-MOS directly through the U.M.N.?" Shion shook her head, sighing some. "No, all advanced AI devices, including KOS-MOS, need a U.M.N. tube for transport. Basically, they have to go through the hyperspace or it will damage their functions. In other words, some sort of ship is necessary when moving one. Why do you ask?"

"Well, about a week ago, a Dominic transport ship affiliated with the Hyams company, docked at Fifth Jerusalem's 47th port. When I checked its cargo records, I found something interesting. At the time of docking, the port's mass detectors recorded a total mass of 3751 tons. But at the time it left port, it was 3750.79 tons. The Dominic has a regular crew of three. This weight difference wasn't caused by people. In other words, these records show that something must have been taken off the ship. Normally, any cargo unloaded into the container terminal, even if it's a government secret, has some sort of record registered. But this time—"

"There was no record," the brunette said narrowing her eyes some. "Right. What's the mass of the bare minimum equipment required to maintain KOS-MOS?" Shion leaned back in the seat as she placed a finger against her lips. "Hmm. It depends on the type of frame she's using, but probably around 200kg—" She blinked a few times then gasped loudly. "Ah!"

"That may be the missing piece," the white-haired woman said. "Assuming it wasn't constructed on Fifth Jerusalem." The brunette looked to the woman with a concerned look. "Then Ormus is involved in T-elos's development?"

"Who knows? But it's disturbingly obvious. They may be deliberately drawing attention to it to cover up something else." A sudden ringing noise made Shion jump from her seat as she opened another communication monitor to show a familiar face. "What's up?!" Miyuki exclaimed much to Doctus's (and Shion's) annoyance. "Hey! You guys already started! You could have invited me, you know!"

"...You haven't missed a thing. By the way, have you already taken care of what I asked for?" The brown-haired girl grinned at her. "You betcha!" The white-haired woman nodded then looked to Shion with a concerned look. "Shion, we've pretty much finished researching your father. There are some things in life one is better off not knowing. Do you still want to know?"

The brunette nodded. "Yes. I have to know the truth," she told her. "This record is in regards to the U-TIC Organization fifteen years ago."

"The Federal Advanced Technology Special Inspection Bureau. That's the name of the government office that was observing U-TIC at the time." Miyuki cleared her throat some as she looked to a printed out paper. "Yes. And…the person who was appointed to Miltia as the Federation government's inspector was—Uh…" She bit her lip only to see the brunette's face turn into a saddened look. "...I was right, wasn't I?"

"...Yes. It's just like you said."

Shion glanced out the window then looked down at the floor. "Dad was the U-TIC Organization inspector. He must have had some kind of contact with Professor Mizrahi." Doctus let a concerned look come over her face. "Shion..."

"But...that doesn't mean he conspired with Professor Mizrahi and summoned the Gnosis," Miyuki said nervously. "Th-this sort of thing happens all the time, you know? An incompetent government bureaucrat fails to stop a crisis, and it turns into a catastrophe." Both the brunette and the white-haired woman let a shocked expression on their faces, looking at the brown-haired girl.

"What?"

"What kind of example is that?" Miyuki looked puzzled as she waved her hands in confusion. "It, uh, I mean…"

"It's okay, don't worry about it. I suspected it all along. Even if he was just an incompetent bureaucrat like you said, he's still guilty of standing by and letting something like that happen." The brown-haired girl on the communiction monitor whimpered slightly, a frown on her face. "I finally know why Jin doesn't like the idea of me getting involved as well," Shion said. "I feel better now that I don't have to wonder anymore."

"Shion..."

"That's right. I suspected it all along. That's why I—" Another beeping sound came from the computer terminal as Miyuki looked at its sender. "Oh, it's from Allen." The brunette nodded. "I'll take it over here." Suddenly, Shion grabbed her head tightly with a small whimper, collapsing from her seat and onto the floor with a thud to Doctus and Miyuki's horror.

"Sh-Shion!"

"Shion!" The communication monitor opened with Allen's smiling face. "Hello!...huh?" He gasped at seeing the woman on the floor. "Ch-Ch-Ch-Chief, what's wrong?!"

"Shion!" Doctus called out. "Chief! Are you all right?! Chief!"

* * *

A little while later, Shion woke up from her unconscious state then looked over to see Allen and Shane--wearing a black dress (without straps) that had white frails off her shoulders and a light grey ribbon in the middle of the abdomen area--sitting next to her. She blinked her eyes a few times, groaning softly. "...Allen...Shane," she mumbled. "Are you all right, Chief? You scared me. You collapsed right as the connection went through." The pink-haired girl sighed in relief. "You gave us quite the run for our money, missy."

"You both came to check on me?"

"Well, I was the closest," he said. "and Shane was already at the hotel, so she wanted to see what was wrong." The brunette nodded some. "I see." The brown-haired man smiled at her while blushing lightly. "Of course, even if we were a million light years apart, I'd still be here in a flash." Shion smiled at him, giggling lightly. Shane sighed. _Dense as always... _"Want something to drink?" Allen asked as he stood up to go and get Shion's' drink. "I had an MC here a few minutes ago, but he said it was probably overexertion. Have you been pushing your lately?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry for worrying you." The brunette began to sit up and climb out of bed until a gentle yet firm hand of Shane's stopped her. "Wait, you need to stay in bed," she told her. "I'm fine now. A lot happened today. I'm sure that's the reason." The brown-haired man looked to the two females, walking over with a solemn look on his face. "Chief, I, uh, have a message for you from Committee Member Mizrahi." She looked up at Allen then took the glass of water from him. "From Juli?"

"Yes, she says she wants to talk to you, so she'd like to meet with you on the Durandal tomorrow. But if you're not feeling well, I'll ask her to postpone it."

"You worry too much. I'm fine now. Oh, but, tomorrow we were—" He shook his head then smiled at her. "Ah, it's okay. Talking with Member Mizrahi is much more important," he said. "Don't worry about canceling our plans. We don't have time to be going out to eat dinner." Shion looked at Allen with a slight frown. "Allen, let's go out for a bit."

He looked at her then blushed slightly. "What? Sure, if you like, that's fine with me." Shane looked at them as she chuckled lightly. They looked at her once she picked up the black purse sitting on the table. "Guess this is where I take my leave," she said. "Oh, that's right...you have another concert later on, don't you?" The pink-haired girl nodded at Allen, walking to the door. "Yeah, I do. I'm like Shion; I get breaks sometimes but I'll have to work again, ne?"

"Ah, well, good luck, Shane," Shion told her. "You too."

* * *

Afterwards, Shane walked out of the Möbius Hotel where a black limo was waiting for her. She felt herself tense up once she saw a soldier near the door. She walked down the stairs as the soldier saluted her. "Lieutenant Colonel Shane Kukai," he said. The pink-haired girl saluted him back. "As you were, soldier. Are you hear to escort me to the concert hall?" He nodded at her. "Yes ma'am. It's a direct order from Secretary of Defense Chief Christan Lazlo that I escort you along with an armed A.W.M.S. unit escort." Shane raised an eyebrow at him.

"Armed escort? And this was his order?" she asked questionably. The soldier nodded once more as he opened the door for her. "Yes, ma'am. It's a means of protection. Dimitri Yuriev also wants to see your concert in person." She closed her eyes, chuckling lightly. "I see...right before I get deployed to the Gedalya region. Thank you." He nodded, watching her get inside the car and closing the door once he got inside. The limo immediately started up then drove off down the street with two black familiar-looking A.W.M.S.s following. Shane looked back at the mechas with interest. "Hey...those are VX-7000s, right?" she asked looking at the solider.

"Yes, ma'am." She turned back around to look out at the passing buildings then sighed softly. _My last night staying here on Fifth Jerusalem_, she thought to herself. _I better send a message to the others on the Durandal.._ She reached into her purse and took out her black/red portable gear shaped like a cellphone, texting the message:

_Sorry, but I'm getting deployed to the Gedalya region. That's where the hypersphere and that landmass are at, right? Maybe I'll see you once we get rid of the Ormus fleet out there. But until then, I have to perform a concert tonight...hope you guys see me on the telly! :D Shane 3_

The pink-haired girl smiled to herself once she sent the message, putting away the phone in the process. She looked out the window again and saw that the limo was nearing the large concert hall that was bound to be packed with hundreds--no, thousands of ShaRUKA's fans...

* * *

"Mmm. It feels good out here. I love the night air."

"Yes, this area is under environmental protection, so there's a lot of trees and plants."

Shion and Allen were in the park area near the Möbius Hotel where they ate from a bag of sandwiches between them. The brunette stood near the railing that boarded off the steep fall to the street below. She had a content look on her face as she looked to the skyline of Fifth Jerusalem. "I'm sorry about our dinner plans for tomorrow," she said turning to Allen standing near the bench who was drinking a soda. "I didn't mean to substitute it like this."

"Please don't worry about it. The location wasn't important to me," he told her with a small smile. "Anyway, this kind of atmosphere is much more valuable." Shion looked at the man confused, tilting her head some. "Atmosphere?" He blinked at her then blushed lightly. "Oh, n-nothing. Just talking to myself." As he sat down on the bench, he didn't see where the bag of sandwiches were and accidentaly sat on them; the heat immediately going into his skin and setting off a pained reaction. Allen yelped loudly, jumping off the crushed bag. "Ow! Hot! Hot!" The brunette woman gasped at the sight of the bag only to have the pained expression on Allen's face turn into a look of embarassment.

"Oh, s-sorry." Shion shook her head some, smiling lightly. "It's all right. We almost wasted a magnificent dinner."

"Magnificent?" he asked rubbing the back of his head. "It's just _prosciutto_." She sighed at him. "Come on. A single thought can change the world. Even fast food can become an elegant dinner--oh..." She let her smile fade, covering her mouth when a look of sadness came over her face. "...Huh?" She shook her head some and looked up at the sky. "I just had déjà vu. Kevin used to like eating outside, too."

"Did you eat together with him a lot?"

"Yeah," Shion said as she stepped away. "I was new, so he always treated me." The brown-haired man let a small frown come across his face but she didn't catch it. "...Oh, okay." The brunette looked back at a shining dome in the middle of the city. It practically glowed in the night. "That's where Shane's concert is at, right?"

"Uh, yeah," the brown-haired man said. "She said that...she's getting deployed later on tonight, I think." Shion looked at Allen with a suspicious look, folding her arms. "And why did she tell you this and noone else?"

"...I-I think she told the others...maybe?" he said nervously.

* * *

Back at the concert hall, Shane was backstage, getting dressed in a blue dress. The rest of her clothes were being packed up into trunks near the far wall of her spacious dressing room by the lolita dressed 100-Series Realians. Her pink hair was tied back into two buns that sat on either side of her head; the rest of her hair cascading down her back and sitting on her shoulders. She also wore light pink lipstick with light blue eyeshadow on her eyes.

"Miss Shane," a 100-Series called out (dressed in a red/black lolita dress). "Mr. Hiwa would like to speak with you before you go onstage." The pink-haired girl nodded as she stood up from her seat. She wore her--as she called it--default "songstress outfit": a blue sleeveless ballgown that was accented with aquatic blues and whites; a neckband around her throat while lengthy sleeves attached to her upper arms shaped like triangles ended the transformation. She sighed softly, looking at the female Federation uniform that hung near the vanity mirror. Guess its time then. Shane walked out of the dressing room where Hiwa--now dressed in a military uniform--stood waiting for her. "And so the facade as my manager ends when you put that uniform on," she said with a slight smirk. The black-haired man narrowed his eyes at her, looking away when his wandering brown eyes dared to travel to her bosom.

"I wish you the best of luck, Songstress. Once your concert is through, you will be escorted to the Federation Orbital Port. Your craft has been repaired and will be placed on a Federation ship that will take you to the Gedalya region."

Shane nodded some as he saluted her and stepped to the side once she began walking to the stage. "..By the way.." The pink-haired young woman stopped walking then looked back at him. "...What song are you singing tonight?" She smirked lightly. "That, Commander Hiwa...is a trade secret." The black-haired man watched her walk out onto the stage with a questionable look. _A trade secret, huh? _Hiwa reached into his pocket to take out a portable gear that had a message from an unknown sender. "Then we both have secrets, Ms. Kukai," he said with a slight smile. The crowd immediately hushed once the pink-haired songstress walked onto the stage. They gasped in awe at her beauty; the spotlight on her lithe frame.

"I thank you all for coming to see me sing tonight," she said over a microphone placed in her ear. "But this'll be my last song on Fifth Jerusalem. I'll be deployed to Gedalya space where the Ormus fleet has fought against the Federation military." The crowd began to groan and moan; some said "fuck the military! stay and sing! you give us hope for living!" while others said to "go and fight! give those Ormus bastards hell! fight off the Gnosis with all your might!"

"I'll do everything I can for you, but that might not be enough. I only want you to stay strong for yourselves, live for a brighter tomorrow! Continue to live in order to fight off the resounding darkness that clouds your hearts!"

The crowd hushed again as the lights dimmed; a hologram of a beach appearing behind her and spreading across the floor. They looked around in surprise only to hear the music begin. It was slow, peaceful sounding; the techno rhythm and orcestra-esque mixing into one.

"_Even so, what can I possibly do?_

_What can I do to change this tiny box-garden reality?" _

The crowd turned to Shane who held out her arms to the crowd, vocalizing.

"_I haven't even lived half of my life;_

_rebelling against, and embracing others -_

_These experiences are being tattooed onto my subconscious._

_When I was stood on the edge of a cliff,_

_"Adversity" grabbed my arm,_

_and for the first time, I could see where I was._

_Towards a wider field; towards somewhere deeper, larger..._

_I'm just heading towards a world which I can't even imagine._"

The pink-haired young woman placed her hands in a praying motion and lowered her head, raising it once the violins reached their cresendo.

"_Tell me, what is the definition of "strength"?_

_Does it mean to hurt yourself,_

_or perhaps to throw yourself away to protect someone who you should protect?_

_The gazelles in the savanna raise clouds of dust;_

_they have no choice but to remain standing in the wind, till the day they die._"

She turned her head to the side; her hand in the air like she was stopping someone from advancing then looked at the crowd again with a look of determination on her face.

"_Humans keep walking onward,_

_just in order to keep on living._

_They proceed, while still decoding an incomplete piece of data._

_It looks like I've already walked out of the desert of my beginnings, alone._

_I want to remain as myself till the day I turn to ash._"

The crowd continued to watch in awe once the music became a bit solomn and rising with each note.

"_Where did I come from, long ago? Where will I go, in the far future?_" Shane asked to the crowd.

"_Being thrown around without knowing; time will come to an end before I realize it._

_It looks like I've already walked out of the desert of my beginnings, alone._

_I want to remain as myself till the day I turn to ash._"

She held out her hands to the crowd, the music rising to its climax; the crowd being pulled into the song.

"_When I was stood on the edge of a cliff,_

_"Adversity" grabbed my arm,_

_and for the first time, I could see where I was._

_Towards a wider field; towards somewhere deeper, larger..._

_I'm just heading towards a world which I can't even imagine..!_"

Shane held her hand to her head; inching her head back, vocalizing, "it's going to leave me again." She looked to the crowd with a saddened look on her face.

"_I want to know about myself..._" Once the song was finished, the crowd instantly went crazy; cheering loudly and even asking for an encore only to have her shake her head with a smile on her face. "Thank you, Fifth Jerusalem, for having me!"

**Chapter 10: End**

**--**

**Whew...long chapter, eh? And you got some chaosxShane lovin' too. XD R&R. ****Also, I'd like to thank Nim Maj, my muse who gave me the name for the Secretary of Defense.**

**Song of this chapter: **_**Hemisphere**_** by Yoko Kanno (from the **_**RahXephon**_** anime opening).**

**_Prosciutto_: I believe its a sandwich similar to what the Subway sandwiches or Snackers at KFC are like...maybe? O.o**

**_METEOR_: Mobile Suit Embedded Tactical EnfORcer, or known as a Striker Pack, is a weapons platform. Yeah, I know; it's used in Gundam SEED...but in this story, it is used similar to KOS-MOS's Tertiary Weapons System. Neat, eh?**


	12. Deployment, A Rescue Pt 1

**Chapter Eleven: Deployment, A Rescue (Part 1)**

Later inside a computer room somewhere on Fifth Jerusalem, Canaan stood at a computer terminal, hurriedly typing at the console without looking away from the screen. He narrowed his gold irises as he stopped typing and moved his hands down into his lap. "How long do you intend to hide there?" he asked in his arrogant-sounding tone.

A small chuckle came from a few feet behind him "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised I can't sneak up on you," a familiar voice responded. Turning off the cloaking device, Doctus appeared with a questionable look on her face.

"What do you want?"

"I'll cut to the chase. Who are you?" Canaan narrowed his eyes some, turning to the white-haired woman. "I believe I gave you my personal data some time ago." She scoffed at him. "I'm not interested in that painted-over information," she said bluntly. "I wanted to know what you were originally made for."

"...What are you talking about?" he asked her confused.

"Oh, are you going to pretend you don't know? _Program Canaan_, a surveilance program listed in the records of top secret Vector data. It's programmed into your mind." The orange-haired man shook his head. "_Program Canaan_? You're bluffing. That keyword doesn't exist in my database."

"Are you going to play dumb?" Doctus asked him. "What is it you're trying to hide so badly?"

Canaan shook his head at her. "...Wait. Hold on," he said. "I really don't know. There really is a program with that name?" She narrowed her eyes at him from behind her goggles as scanners looked over his mainframe. "...So, they kept its functionality secret, even from yourself...Alright. I'll believe you." She walked over to him, handing him a data file as he took it from her.

"It's partial data on _Program Canaan_we obtained from Vector," she said. "If you want to confirm its validity, you'll have to do it yourself." Doctus turned then began to walk away only to look back at the orange-haired man.

"Oh, and one warning...even if you weren't aware of the program's existance, it still affects your behavior. If you interfere with us...even if it isn't your own will...we won't hesitate to eliminate you. Keep that in mind." With that, the white-haired woman left the room, leaving a speechless Canaan holding the data file.

"...God, I hate that woman..."

--

The next morning at the Möbius Hotel in room 701, the alarm clock sounded, waking Shion from her dream. She slapped her hand on the alarm clock then looked at the time. 7:00AM. She sighed softly, climbing out of the bed and made it up, stretching. "Looks like it's about time," she said. "I'd better hurry to the spaceport."

--

At the Federation Orbital Space Port, Shion made her way to the elevator that led to the Durandal as she watched a Federation ship leave one of the ports and off into the darkness of space; entering a gate jump. "Huh...must've been--no, it couldn't have been.." She walked onto the elevator as it took her up to the giant red ship. Upon arrival, Shion was greeted by familiar faces; nearly falling when a certain red-head's voice rang in her ears.

"Hey, Shion! You're looking well!" he exclaimed happily once she ran over to them. "It's great to see you again," MOMO said with a smile while Ziggy nodded his head at her. "Ah...looks like you're all doing good, too."

"Shion." The brunette squeaked, turning around to meet her brother who stood with her arms folded. "Jin?!...that's right...I completely forgot you were with them," she muttered. The black-haired man narrowed his eyes as a puzzled look came over his face. "Is that any way to greet the brother you haven't seen in a while? Everyone else is here. You know, you really should be a little more punctual—"

"Yes, yes. Everyone's here now, right? Let's get started." Jin repressed a sudden urge to backhand his younger sister by looking away and putting on a calm look. _Must...fight...urge..._"Ha ha ha! You haven't changed a bit, Shion. Juli and the others are waiting. This way!" Jr. led the group to the bridge where Juli was waiting for them with her arms folded across her chest.

"Shion, have you heard about KOS-MOS?" the woman asked. "KOS-MOS? No. What's going on?"

"Committee Member Mizrahi, I'll tell her." Allen sighed softly then turned to Shion. "Chief, they've decided to scrap KOS-MOS," he told her watching her face turn into a look of shock. "_Scrap_? You can't be serious."

"I'm afraid it's true. They made the decision yesterday." Shion shook her head as she felt her eyes become misty. "KOS-MOS…"

"I understand how you feel, but there's no time to get depressed" Juli told her. "I want you to listen carefully to what I'm about to say, and then make a decision." The brunette looked to the woman with a questionable look on her face. "First, take a look at this." She turned her head, bringing up a display monitor with the image of a hypersphere. "...What is it?"

"It's a hypersphere that appeared during a battle with Ormus," Jr. said. "The Elsa was swallowed by it."

Juli nodded some. "Right. And now, this hypersphere is beginning to shrink. It'll likely continue to shrink to Planck-scale size and then disappear from this dimension." Shion gasped lightly. "What will happen to the Elsa?!"

"At this rate…it will be taken into phase space along with the hypersphere," the woman said sadly. "If that happens, it'll be impossible for us to rescue them. If we don't break through this hypersphere, we can't rescue the Elsa."

"But weapons on the Durandal or E.S.s don't even make a dent."

"The surface of that hypersphere is connected to imaginary space. Ordinary attacks are useless against it. Its only weak spot is a part called the Klein Point. If we can pierce that point with a high-output weapon and reverse the space, then perhaps." The red-haired boy looked to Juli with a confused look on his face. "You've gotta be kidding me! How the hell can we do that?!" he exclaimed. The brunette woman thought for a moment only to gasp again.

"Oh! KOS-MOS! KOS-MOS's phase transfer unit!"

"Exactly. KOS-MOS's Tertiary Weapons System or the METEOR pack for the E.S. Striker may be able to break through that hypersphere," Juli said. "But KOS-MOS has been slated for scrap. How are we supposed to do this? Besides, there's no way we'll get permission to use the Tertiary Weapons System. The same goes for that METEOR pack...and Shane's not here with the Striker..."

"Hmm..."

"Yes, that's why I've gathered you all here. KOS-MOS is currently awaiting disposal inside the Zohar Project facility."

"You're planning to steal KOS-MOS?" Ziggy asked the woman who nodded. "There's no other way to rescue the Elsa. I'll guide you during the infiltration, but it'll still be dangerous. It'll be up to you to decide." Shion nodded for a brief moment then placed her hands on her hips.

"All right. I'll do it," she said. "I can't just abandon the Elsa's crew, or KOS-MOS. Shane would kill me if that happened."

"Shion!" Jin exclaimed only to have it go unheard much to his chagrin. "Yeah, I guess if we do them a big favor now, we'll be able to make use of it later." The dark-haired woman smiled some. "Then it's settled. We don't know how long the hypersphere's shrinking will last. We need to being immediately. We move tonight."

"Right. Let's get ready and—" Shion whimpered lightly, holding her head as she stumbled lightly. "Chief? Are you all right?" Allen asked in a concerned voice. The brunette shook her head and waved him off. "Yes, I'm fine—"

"Shion?"

She groaned softly, apparently not hearing her brother call her name then collapsed onto the floor, unconscious. "Chief!"

--

Inside of a Federation transport ship, Shane laid in a dimly lit room on a couch wearing her Federation uniform; her hair tied back in a tight bun. She opened her blue-green eyes and sat up slowly. She held her head gently, a slight groan coming from her lips.

"Ow," she muttered. "What the hell's wrong with my head now?"

_**Think you have a hangover, dear?**_

"...If I did have a hangover, I would be sober, Rukia."

_**...Feh.**_The pink-haired young woman stood up from the couch as she looked out the window at the passing hyperspace then narrowed her eyes. "Something's wrong with Shion...why I'm getting so worried about her is beyond me, but I know there's something wrong."

_**You're talking about when she passed out? **_Rukia asked. "Yeah. I didn't show it either but...I was affected by it too."

--

Later, Allen walked out of the infirmary/sickroom where a sleeping Shion was at. He had a worried look on his face then looked down at the floor as a breath of complete exaustion escaped his lips. He wasn't tired, no, but worried about the one he cared about the most. Footsteps coming towards him made Allen break out of his trance, looking up at the black-haired man who looked just as worried.

But of course; that was his sister in there.

"Jin."

"You look tired. I'll take over now. Please get some rest," he said only to watch the brown-haired man wave his hand in front of his face.

"No, I'm fine. I'm more interested in hearing the results of her examination." Jin shook his head at him. "Even the medical staff here doesn't know what caused her collapse. They say it's probably exhaustion or something." Allen nodded some then started to walk away only to stop to realize something. "She collapsed once at the hotel, too," he pointed out. "She seems to have been busy lately, so maybe that's it."

"I see." Jin watched Allen walk away then moved into the sickroom to glance at his sister who had just woken up. "How are you feeling?" he asked moving over to her bedside. She looked at the black-haired man with a tired look on her face. "I'm sorry for worrying you." He waved his hand at her once he sat down.

"...Are you still working with Scientia?" She gave him a surprised look then looked to the side. "Oh, you knew."

"Allen said you've been busy. I figured that might be it," Jin said. "Ever since you were little, you'd rush forward without stopping once you've set your mind on it. And never heeded my advice." Shion scoffed a bit and looked back at her black-haired sibling. "You're quite correct." He sighed lightly then stood up, taking out a small bottle and placing it on the nightstand.

"Well, it's all right as long as you're healthy." And with that, Jin left the room where the brunette looked to the bottle on the nightstand. "Mm. Herbal remedy?" she said to no one in particular. "...You could have just handed it to me you know."

--

Later after her recovery, Shion walked out of the Durandal's elevator and back inside of the Federation Orbital Space Port with Juli next to her; a concerned look on the older woman's features. "Are you feeling all right?" she asked touching the brunette's shoulder.

"Yes, I just needed some rest," she replied. "I feel great now." Juli sighed softly then moved her hand away. "...I envy you." Shion looked at the woman confused. "..hm?"

"I think anyone would. You've been true to your beliefs after you resigned from Vector after the Gnosis terrorism.

"...I don't know," the brunette said looking to the side. "I mean, I'm not even really sure, myself." The dark-haired woman stepped away from Shion a bit.

"And here I am, still doing the same thing I always have done," Juli told her. "Not asking or thinking whether what I am doing is right or wrong."

"Are you regretting your participation in the development of Omega?"

"Maybe. It's a weapon with absolute power and no clear objective. And yet, I'm participating in its development so I can prove myself to society. To clear the shame from the name, "Mizrahi."" Shion looked at the woman, clutching the necklace around her neck. "Do you think KOS-MOS's very existence is dangerous, too?"

Juli shook her head at the brunette. "Shion, KOS-MOS isn't a weapon. It's probably strange for a scientist to say this, but I have a feeling that KOS-MOS possesses something very important."

"Something important..."

"Unlike the human-based Realians, KOS-MOS is composed entirely of machines. How much real difference do you think there is between the bundles of protein that makes us, and the machines that compose her? We're both a wave that make up this universe," the dark-haired woman told Shion. "The only difference is the number of ripples. I think if we have hearts and minds, then it's evident that she would have them as well."

"...Do you think KOS-MOS possesses a heart?" Shion asked.

"Isn't that what you wish?" Juli replied only to see the girl sigh softly. "Maybe, but maybe not."

The woman shrugged lightly as she turned her back to the brunette. "I don't know what your thoughts and intentions were when you built her, but no matter what happens, I want you to believe in KOS-MOS. And more than anything else, you must believe the person who built her, yourself. That's your duty as her creator." She nodded to Shion and walked off, leaving the young woman with a compassionate look on her face.

"Juli..."

"Did Juli head back to the facility?" The brunette turned to Jr. and chaos who were stepping off the ship's elevator then nodded some. "Yes, she said she's going to get things ready for our infiltration," she told him.

"Okay. We should get started, too," Jr stated punching his fist into his open palm. "There's not much time. Stock up on anything you'll need."

"Let's meet in the lobby of Shion's hotel," chaos said. "We won't look suspicious meeting in town, and it's close to the facility." The red-haired boy looked to Shion. "Is that okay with you?"

"Sure, that's fine." He nodded then grinned madly. "Okay. Let's get moving!"

--

On the Federation ship dubbed the Marquis de Sol, Shane stepped out of her temporary quarters and into the lit hallway; she stretched while yawning loudly. She popped her back then groaned softly. "Ow...damn, I'm gettin' old.." The pink-haired young woman walked down the right end of the hallway; her arms crossed over her chest.

_So...you're headed to the same place as the others are?_

_Yeah_, she told Rukia through an intermind connection. _But they're gonna be slow and get you-know-who back in their ranks._ Shane continued to walk until she reached an intersection, seeing a few soldiers walking around before their mission began. She rubbed the temple of her head and yawned again. _Shit...I got enough sleep, didn't I?_

_**Well, you are acting like Shion--**_

_Like hell, I'm acting like Shion._The pink-haired young woman scoffed then turned to the left of the intersection, waving a a few soldiers or maintenance workers "hello". She walked down the hallway as she reached an elevator that had glass doors. A basic death trap if anything attacked the ship on their way to the Geldaya region. She pressed the down button, folding her arms then suddenly held her head some. "Shit..."

_**What's wrong? **_Rukia asked only to whimper afterwards in pain. _**Ow...**_

_You too?_ Shane hissed lightly as she stumbled into the elevator once the doors had opened. "U-DO...just what the hell...are you trying to do to me? Better yet, what the hell are you trying to do to me _and _Shion?"

**Chapter 11: End.**

**--**

**Sorry it took so long. Been busy with Dragoon Dreamer...which I will **_**not**_**be completing since noone will **_**frickin'**_**read it. Only one of my muses (Nim Maj) read it and reviewed it. It'll probably be just a dream or a doujinshi I'll make in the later future...maybe. I'm currently writing a Torchwood fic (dubbed Blood Angel: Awakening) in progress. But I will not post it here as of yet.**

**Shane: Please read and review--wait, shouldn't you be in bed?**

**Me: **_**Quiet**_**.**


	13. Deployment, A Rescue Pt 2

**Chapter Twelve: Deployment, A Rescue (Part 2)**

Me: (drinks her coffee)

chaos: ...How long has she been awake?

Shion: Well...she says she can't sleep because of the night before--she went to Homecoming for the first time--and didn't like it. She enjoyed it, but she didn't like it.

Jr.: Why?

Shane: Girl stuff, my boy. Girl stuff. Enjoy this chapter.

* * *

_We're going to be heading into the Consolidated Advanced Technology Testing Ground again. I better check our equipment before we head there._

Shion and the others readied themselves by checking their weapons along with whatever equipment was on them. Better safe than sorry, people would say. Once that was done, the brunette left the group for the Möbius Hotel. When she walked inside, she was tapped on the shoulder by her former assistant. "Chief! Before we go to the Consolidated Advanced Technology Testing Ground, I have some information for you!"

"Information? What is it?" Shion asked him. "It's not that I don't trust Miyuki, but you know what that place is like! It'll give us an advantage in battle in case we still wind up having a fight!" Allen began to explain to the brunette woman about a system called the 'Skill Line' and the basics of using it while showing it to her on his portable gear. "Well, that's about it. I've got an idea!" he exclaimed nearly startling the woman. "I'll give you my skill points, so go ahead and try them out!" She nodded as he sent his skill points--20--to Shion's own portable gear.

"Also, Chief, I've sent this explanation to your database. Just in case you want to hear it again!"

"Thank you, Allen," she told him with a small smile. "I'm sure this'll come in handy when we get to the testing ground." He blushed lightly then looked at his watch on his right arm. "Oh, Chief! It's almost time, isn't it? We're going to infiltrate the CAT Testing Grounds," he said. "The others should show up once it gets dark, so let's wait here in the hotel until then."

"Right," Shion replied as she began to walk to the elevator with Allen. "Miyuki should be helping us out on site. I think it'd be best if we don't leave the hotel together. It'll cut down on drawing attention to us. Is that all right?"

"Yes."

He nodded at her some. "Then we'll wait for night fall, until the start of the mission."

* * *

Down in the hangar of the _Marquis de Sol_, Shane stood in front of her E.S. Striker as it was kneeling down almost in reverence to the young woman. She closed her blue eyes slowly only to have them snap open in a turquoise color. Shane glanced around the room then walked forward to embrace the cool, inviting steel of the blue/white mecha's arm gently.

**This machine...is a weapon you use in battle, am I right?** a gentle voice with a hint of British sounding accent asked.

_...Wha..who the hell are you and why are you in my body?!_ Shane's inner mind asked angrily. _Where's Rukia?!_

**She is here, with us. Don't worry; no harm came to her. She is simply resting.**

_...Resting? Is it because of U-DO or...something else entirely?_ The image of a young woman with long dark blue hair stood amidst the dark reaches of Shane's mind; her back to the girl's gaze. **A little bit of both, really. But like I said before, don't worry...she's a part of you...as I am you. We will speak with each other again...but the time isn't right.**

Shane opened her eyes again, looking around to find herself back in the hangar of the ship and hugging the Striker's hand. She rubbed the back of her head gently as she cursed to herself under her breath. _Shit...another one's inside me?_

* * *

Later during the night at the Mobius Hotel, the group readied themselves as they did earlier. Jr. walked inside the hotel with his arms crossed. He glanced at the ragtag team then nodded. "Everyone ready?" he asked.

"Listen, we're going up against an important facility of the Galaxy Federation military. They'll attack intruders without stopping to ask questions, so stay on your toes." Everyone looked to Allen with a concerned look in their eyes. "You're the one we're most worried about," the red-haired boy said only to cover his ears as the man narrowed his eyes at him.

"Hey! I know that facility better than anyone else here!"

"I know. I'm counting on you." He looked to Shion with a warm look on his face. "Chief..."

"Geez, and I thought I was a slut puppy for affection.." Jr. grinned madly once he was met with a glare by Allen. Jin blinked at the group then sighed softly. "Sorry to interrupt your _tender_ moment, but we don't have much time. Let's get going."

* * *

Later, on the road to the CAT Testing Grounds, the group ran over to a whitish-grey transport car as it arrived at a station similar to that of a old bus station. Once it had stopped, Miyuki stepped out of the car and waved hyperly at the group. "Shion! Over here! Come on, hurry!" The group stopped near the obviously hyper young woman, Allen 'shhing' her loudly. "Hey, hey, not so loud. Do you want them to find us?" he asked only to have her grin in response. "So, is everything ready?"

The dark-haired girl nodded at him. "Yep, all set! I tweaked the security, so you've got a free pass inside."

"...I hope you didn't make any mistakes this time," Shion said, folding her arms. "Oh, come on, you can trust me! You're the one who told me not to do anything dangerous and then asked me to help you."

"There isn't anyone else I could ask."

"What about Doctus? You could have asked Scientia!" Miyuki exclaimed only to be 'shhed' by most of the group in response.

"They're busy with something else. Besides, this is our own problem," the brunette told her. "I can't ask them to help with this." The dark-haired girl let a shocked look come onto her features then pointed at Shion. "**Ah-hah**, I knew it! You're only using me because there's no one else!" She heard Allen snicker along with others in the group (MOMO and Ziggy) as she growled. "Hey! Stop laughing!"

"So, how do we get in?" Jr. asked, changing the subject entirely.

"The main gate is sealed, isn't it?"

"Don't worry. We can get in by using the mono-carrier below. We'll also use the transporter within this facility. As for the route, first we'll head from deck number two to the exercise area," Allen explained. "Past that is a transporter on deck number five. That'll take us to the research wing where KOS-MOS is."

"Right! Just leave the rest to me! I've got something up my sleeve just in case we get caught," Miyuki told the group as they let looks of complete worry on their faces. She continued to talk, apparently ignoring the gazes. "And I'll even help fight against any guards we may happen to run into."

"Your job is to make sure we _don't_get caught. Please don't screw this up, Miyuki." Jr. and chaos began to snicker; Miyuki's face becoming flushed with anger.

"Hey! I said _stop laughing!_"

* * *

"Lieutenant Colonel Shane Kukai, please report to the Captain's office A.S.A.P. I repeat: Lieutenant Colonel Shane Kukai, please report to the Captain's office A.S.A.P," the female announcer stated on the intercoms of the Federation ship. Shane looked up at the ceiling of the hangar as the announcement echoed in the large room. She cursed under her breath, walking towards the elevator.

_The hell does he want __**now**__?_ she thought to herself once she got into the elevator and pressing the up button.

Shane tapped her foot lightly with her arms folded, looking up at the ceiling. She suddenly gasped as flashes of red-violet came over her eyes along with other images: a man standing on top of a rock with others dressed in brown robes, a woman singing gently as she reached for the blue sky, and a young woman wearing a light blue dress speaking with another girl--the same girl that Shane spoke with.

_Her again...what...the hell is going on?!_

The elevator came to a stop on the third floor of the ship, the doors opening slowly. Shane growled lightly then walked out of the elevator and walking towards two grey double doors; the Galaxy Federation logo on the front. She stopped in front of the door as they hissed then slid open to show a large room that was lavishly furnished. The man sitting at the desk looked up at the pink-haired girl and smiled.

"Come in, Lieutenant Colonel Kukai. I've been wanting to speak with you."

* * *

At the CAT Testing Ground, the group jumped into the mono-carrier as it took them to the main building and inside. There, they fought against guards along with automated machines who tried to hinder their efforts to save one of their own. The group eventually made their way to the transporter dock as Shion looked around the eerily quiet area.

_We've come out on the platform_, she thought to herself. _So far, so good...but first, we need to get on the second transporter._

The group moved their way to the No. 2 transporter and took it to the No. 2 area. After arriving, Shion's group moved on to another transporter area as they took the No. 5 transporter to the next area--where an elevator waited. Miyuki patted Allen's back roughly as she giggled...very annoyingly.

If Shane were with them, she would have killed the woman by now. "Good work, guys. All that's left is to take this elevator to the research wing," she said. "We can relax now."

"Well, that was pretty easy," Jr. said placing her hands behind his head. "I told you I had everything all set! I'm pretty good, huh?" Shion shook her head with an impatient look on her face. "Yes, yes, we see how useful you are. Now, let's **go**."

_Rawr, Shion_, the brown-haired girl thought as she turned to the elevator and took out her portable gear, typing in a code. "Here we go!...Huh? That's weird." She typed in the code again only to have the elevator doors stay closed. "What's wrong?" Shion asked. "There's not much time. Hurry up."

"Um, well…the elevator isn't responding," Miyuki replied nervously.

The brunette narrowed her eyes and folded her arms with an irritated look on her face. "...Miyuki. You screwed up again, didn't you?" She squeaked lightly. "What? No, wait, it's okay! I thought this might happen, so I prepared another route! So, it's not a problem!"

"...Are you sure about this?" Shion asked. "Oh, Shion! Everything's fine! C'mon, let's go!" The brunette let out a frustrated groan then held her head tightly. _Looks like we'll just have to keep going forward.._

The group moved to the next area, fighting various enemies along the way. In the new area with a control console as the brunette pressed a red button and activated the console. "Warning: Purging restraint power unit," a computerized male voice said making the group look at one another.

"Wait, what did it say?"

Somewhere deeper in the CAT Testing Grounds, a certain beast was kept locked away. Suddenly, the restraint power units holding the beast opened and fell--or rather slid--into a dark chasm below. The group watched as a power unit lowered between the bridge gaps to form a full walkway. Soon, the group--filled with worry--moved out to another area. In this area, the group began to walk past a large window only to gasp in shock seeing a Gnosis with an orange/black/grey color scheme, large fists at its sides.

"What the--" Shion stepped towards the window only to have the large Gnosis slam its fist into the window, making various cracks in the glass then flew out of its holding cell and setting off alarms. "This block was a Gnosis breeding area. I think we just made a mistake." Jr. looked to Shion with a raised eyebrow.

"Keh, no shit."

* * *

"What is it you wanted to speak with me about, sir?" Shane asked as she stood with military precision. The captain--Captain Luke Raineheurt--looked at the girl with a small smile. He then leaned back in his seat to look outside at space and the rest of the Gedalya fleet. "That craft of yours...it was made by Vector, correct?" he asked the girl who now had a confused yet wary look on her face. She nodded at him. "That's right, sir. Why do you ask?"

"I want you to lead A.W.G.S. units out to fight against the Gnosis threat," he told her. "You're their commanding officer alongside Lieutenant Jun and also our songstress. So I want you to be careful."

Shane smirked at him. "Aren't I always, Captain?" The older man chuckled lightly. "So, am I to head out now or later?"

"I would stay in the hangar for a bit and if things don't get messy in the next hour or so, then you won't go out--"

"Unless we're under attack. I get it."

* * *

Back at the CAT Testing Grounds, the group moved on to the next area to the A.W.G.S. hangar. There, the group fought against both AG-01 and VX-7000. After the two battles, they rested as MOMO looked to the downed mechas with a small frown. "I never thought we'd end up fighting them," she said. "It feels rather strange." Jr. shrugged slightly. "It's only an A.G.W.S. The pilots pick which side they're on. Don't get emotional about it." The pink-haired girl pouted at him.

"I guess it all depends on who's piloting them," Shion said. "But it's not something you can easily forget."

MOMO nodded some. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry." The brunette nodded as the group walked on to another elevator and its controls. "Hey, Ziggy? Do you think Shane's okay?" The blonde man nodded. "I'm sure she's fine. She did say that we would probably cross paths later on in the Geldaya region," he told her. The pink-haired girl nodded at him with a small smile.

"I bet chaos is waiting for it." The white-haired boy blushed slightly as Miyuki looked to them. "Whose this Shane girl you're talking about? That female Federation soldier?"

"Naw, the singer. Of course we're talking about the Federation soldier!" Jr. growled as Shion sighed, pressing the button for the elevator controls. The dark-haired girl ignored the boy then squealed like a schoolgirl once the elevator activated. "See, look! The elevator is functional! Just look at it!" she exclaimed. Jr. growled lightly, holding himself back from shooting the annoying woman.

"What do you mean, look at it? If the elevator worked earlier, we could have avoided unnecessary battles."

"That's true, but…see? Now we can go to the research ward!"

"...Are you sure?" Shion asked watching the girl nod. "Of course! Come on. Let's hurry up. I'm sure KOS-MOS is waiting, too!" The brunette sighed as the group moved into the elevator, the doors closing and descending to the Vector research wing. As the elevator descended, the elevator suddenly went past the research wing, causing Shion to raise an eyebrow. "What's going on, Miyuki? The elevator went past our floor."

"What? Uh, hmm… I wonder why," Miyuki said biting her lip in concern. The brunette placed her hands on her hips. "...You messed up again, didn't you?" She shook her head hurriedly. "No, I couldn't have. I checked it! Really, I did!" The others shook their heads at Shion's "bitch mode" towards Miyuki. Jin placed a shoulder on his sister's shoulder. "This isn't her fault," he said. He looked up at the ceiling and narrowed his eyes. "We are being lead somewhere by someone or something."

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" Ziggy turned his head to look at Allen. "Where does this elevator go?" he asked.

"Oh, it's, uh… If we keep going down this way, we should end up at a large underground hangar."

"So, something's down there, then, huh," Jr. said looking back at the brown-haired man who shrugged his shoulders some. Shion sighed as her black-haired brother patted her shoulder. "It'll be alright, Shion. Just...calm down."

**Chapter 12: End**

**--**

**Sorry for the long wait...been busy. Gomen! R&R.**

**Teaser for Chapter 13: **

_As the elevator continued to descend, Jr. sighed softly then turned his head to the right side only to gasp in shock. "Hey, look at that!" he exclaimed. The group looked over as their eyes widened in shock at the large light-green machine that stood near the elevator--while was still descending--in its magnificent glory. "That's...Omega!" _


	14. Back to the Landmass

**Chapter Thirteen: Back to the Landmass**

As the elevator continued to descend, Jr. sighed softly then turned his head to the right side only to gasp in shock. "Hey, look at that!" he exclaimed. The group looked over as their eyes widened in shock at the large light-green machine that stood near the elevator--while was still descending--in its magnificant glory. "That's...Omega!"

The red-haired boy narrowed his blue eyes, growling softly. "That thing's enormous! What the _**hell**_ is my idiot father planning to do with that thing?!" The group got off the elevator once it stopped on the lowest floor. As the group looked at Omega, Shion suddenly held her head, nearly losing her balance and caught Jr.'s attention. "Shion!" he exclaimed. Ziggy caught the brunette before she could collapse onto the floor with one arm.

"Chief?!" Allen exclaimed as the woman shook her head. "I-I'm fine. I just felt—a little dizzy, that's all." The brown-haired man let a worried look come onto his face. "Maybe you haven't completely recovered yet..."

"I'm fine," she said. "It's nothing, really." She stood up on her own and steadied herself, recovering slowly. "...Chief..." Shion walked ahead of the group slowly as she continued to hold her head. "It's okay. I'm just a little light-headed." She stopped then sighed, looking up to see someone near the doors ahead. "...Oh?" She focused her eyes only to gasp in surprise and realize who it was. "That boy...that's Abel!"

Allen looked ahead of her at the brown-haired boy with a confused look. "Huh?" Shion stepped towards the boy who looked at her with blank hazel eyes. "You're Abel, right?" she asked. "Sad being, this way." Abel turned from the woman as the doors hissed open and walking out of the hangar. "Hey, wait!"

"Who's that kid? You know him?" Jr. asked. The brunette shook her head. "No, but Juli said he's...an invaluable member of the Zohar Project."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you earlier, but he's the pilot of Omega," Allen said. "He lives in this facility. You see him around CR a lot." The group stared at the brown-haired man with a confused gaze. "...And you're just telling us this _**now**_?" Jin asked. He rubbed the back of his head some. "Sorry..."

"That boy is Omega's pilot? But why is he here by himself?"

"Maybe it's a trap?" the red-haired boy commented. "Who would do that? And more importantly, why? And who does he mean by "sad being"?" Allen shrugged lightly. "Maybe he's trying to lead us to KOS-MOS."

"So, you wanna follow him?" The dark-haired girl looked to the group, confused. "Um, I don't understand any of what you just said. What's going on?" Miyuki asked.

"Yeah, there's no point in staying here," Shion said ignoring the girl as the group moved on. Miyuki stood there with her mouth open, shaking her head and running after the group. "Hey, wait, Shion!" The group moved on to the next area. There, Abel looked back at them and went through the door like a ghost as the group walked inside a dimily lit large room of scrap. Abel wasn't there when they got inside.

"The hell is this place?" Jr. asked.

"Beats me," Miyuki said.

The group glanced around the site, piles upon piles of scrap metal laying around. If the Elsa crew--particularly Hammer--were here, they would have a field day. Then, Allen suddenly tripped and fell to the floor. "Ahh!"

"What are you doing, Allen? Are you all right?" Shion asked.

"Ow, that hurt!" he said rubbing the back of his head. "Hey, what is with the ground here? ...Oh! Chief! L-look!" The brown-haired man pointed over to a familar blue-haired android near a pile of scrapped parts, inactive. It appeared that she was thrown out...like trash, much to Shion's dismay. "KOS-MOS!" The brunette ran over to the android, falling to her knees beside her. "KOS-MOS! How could they do this to you?"

"Man, I can't believe they'd trash a top security unit in a place like this," Jr. said looking around only to hear Shion's depressed sigh. He squeaked lightly then held up his hands, shaking his head. "Ah...eh...uh...sorry."

"Chief, it's okay. It seems like there aren't any damages," Allen told the woman who was on the verge of tears. "We can reboot her right away." Shion nodded and stood up, taking out her portable computers along with Miyuki and Allen. They brought up the rebooting menu onto the small screen, typing away at the controls. "I don't understand. What's this task?" A small change in KOS-MOS's dataframe caught her eye as she glanced back at the dark-haired girl.

"Miyuki, can you tell me what this is?"

"Uhhhh—Beats me," Miyuki answered placing a finger to her chin. "But I think it looks like some kind of feedback from something. I won't be able to tell without an analysis…and we don't have that kind of equipment here for that."

"All right. Then it'll just have to wait till later. Let's reboot her and get out of here," Shion said.

"I'll run a stalking program against that task, so make a record of it. Ask Doctus to analyze it later. I'm on it!"

* * *

On the _Marquis de Sol_ in the hangar locker room, Shane had changed out of her Federation uniform and pulled on a black spacesuit that fitted her body frame perfectly; red strips going up her arms, legs, stomach, and shoulders, pads against her breasts. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail as strands fell along the side of her face. She looked to her uniform--folded neatly--sitting in her locker along with her portable gear and boots.

_**Did I miss anything?**_ Rukia asked.

_Nothing new. I got orders to head out with a little unit of mine if there's a Gnosis attack_, she answered moving some of her hair behind her ear. _**Ooh, cute suit, Shannie. Brings out the "beast" in ya, huh?**_ The pink-haired girl chuckled slightly. She placed a reddish-black belt around her waist which hung onto one hip then placed her portable gear onto the right-side holster.

_I suppose._ Shane walked out of the locker room, stretching as she yawned loudly. She looked over to several soldiers standing by their A.G.W.S. units while engineers made the finishing touches. The pink-haired young woman walked over to the Striker where it was still in its kneeling position, touching the smooth cold metal under her gloved fingertips.

"Soon, buddy," she said to herself. "We'll go out to battle again." Shane held her head again, seeing flashes of red-violet again and heard the soft whimper of Rukia in the back of her head. _**I...can feel it...**_

_Rukia..._

* * *

Back at the CAT Testing Grounds (in the underground scrap room), Allen brought up the reboot sequence onto his portable gear. He looked to an anxious Shion holding her shaking hands together as he looked back at KOS-MOS. "Chief, I'm gonna start her up," he told her. The brunette nodded at him. "Please do." He nodded at her, activating the sequence on KOS-MOS. Her hand twitched slightly, her head lifting slowly as she stood up and standing upright. Shion sighed with relief; her hands shaking somewhat.

"Good morning, KOS-MOS," she said. "How are you?"

"And good morning to you, Shion. My drive coefficient is down by .3, but everything else is running normal. There are no problems," the blue-haired android replied. The brunette sniffled slightly then walked over to KOS-MOS, embracing her while she hid her face in the girl's shoulder. "Good. I'm sorry, KOS-MOS..."

"Is there something wrong, Shion?" KOS-MOS asked looking at the brunette with red eyes. "No. It's nothing. I'm just happy. That's all."

"All right then. Now that we've got KOS-MOS awake, we shouldn't stay here long," Jr. pointed out. "Let's hurry up and get the hell out."

"Yes, I agree." Shion looked to the blue-haired girl. "KOS-MOS, can you enter battle mode?" she asked as she nodded. "Yes, any time." The brunette nodded then looked at Miyuki. "Miyuki, move to backup and support KOS-MOS during combat."

"Why? Why do I have to be backup? I barely got to fight!" Miyuki whined only to meet the harsh glare of the other woman. "Your job isn't to fight, so **stop** whining."

The dark-haired girl bit her lip, hanging her head in defeat. "Yes ma'am." The group made their way to a large dumping elevator. "I think we can use this."

"One sec." Jr. walked onto the pad then checked the controls with a small smile. "Yeah, it's connected to the exercise area. Looks good." Shion looked at the red-haired boy only to have her vision become blurry and hazy. Ugfh... "Shion, are you all right?" Jin asked. "You don't look well."

"...What? It's nothing. I'm…fine—" The brunette barely finished her sentence before she suddenly collapsed onto the floor and passed out. "Shion!" Allen gasped, startled at what happened. "..Aheh?"

* * *

_Shion…_

"Is that you calling me again? Who are you?" the brunette, naked and floating amidst a sea of red-violet light, asked the omnipresent voice. _What...do...you...seek?_

"I don't seek anything."

_I want to know. To know you. To know your world_, the voice told her.

"You want to know me? I want to know you, as well. Tell me, who are you?"

_I am the will of the universe. You identify me as...U-DO. _Shion blinked her blue-green eyes several times, looking around. "...You're U-DO?" she asked.

_What do you desire from the world?_

* * *

Shion moaned softly, holding her head as she opened her eyes slowly. "Nnnn..." She sat up to glance at the others who had concerned looks on their faces. "Chief!" Allen exclaimed holding back from glomping the woman. MOMO sighed a breath of relief. "Shion! Thank goodness." The brunette looked at everyone with a dazed look, shaking her head some.

"...Chief?"

"What? Why am I… What happened?" she asked standing up and steadying herself. Jr. folded his arms at her. "Are you really okay?" Shion nodded at him with a slight smile. "Yeah sorry. I'm...I'm okay now." She was still reeling over the fact that the "voice of the universe"--U-DO--spoke with her. Twice already. The group moved onto the dumping elevator as the red-haired boy activated the controls, the elevator going up the large shaft slowly.

_What is going on with me? I...I must be stressed out_, Shion thought to herself. _Yes...that's it.._

The brunette jumped at the sound of the elevator stoping at the exercise area where suddenly, light-blue A.W.G.S.s were released and took chase after the group. "Oh, shi--**RUN**!" Allen yelled. The group immediatly broke into a run as they continued to be followed by the A.G.W.S.s. Shion threw a trap at the mechas then shot at it with her M.W.S., watching it activate and disable the machines.

"Hahaha! Take that, ya bastards!!" the red-haired boy yelled as he ran ahead of the group. The ground in front of him suddenly exploded. "Whoa!" He yelped, getting thrown back only to do a back flip and land miraculously. "The fuck?" The group stopped running, coming face to face to the Gnosis from its breeding room. "That...Gnosis," MOMO said stepping back some. "It's the one from before." The beast landed in front of them and roared loudly as it startled the group.

"`Ch...sorry, buddy, but you're gonna have to be put down!" Jr. said taking out his handguns and twirling them. "That, Jr., was a very bad pun. Even Shane could've come up with something better."

"...MOMO, don't be a bitch...like someone we all know and love." Shion blinked at the group who turned to look at her. "...What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

* * *

On the _Marquis de Sol_, Shane rested in the Striker's large cockpit as she sighed softly. She pulled on her headset, activating the communication screen on the computer in front of her. On the screen were the words 'Connecting with: Durandal' along with a loading time. She sighed and leaned back against her seat, blowing strands of loose pink hair from her face. Shane leaned her head back.

_Why is it...I feel so restless?_ she thought. _Back at the concert.._ Shane remembered back on the shadow that had watched her so intently then shivered at the thought of a stalker. "Something's not right.." A sudden beeping noise broke the girl's train of thought as she looked to the screen to see the grinning face of Mary. "Hey, Mary," she spoke into the microphone.

"Hey, Little Miss. What's up?"

"Is there a problem?" Shelley asked in a concerned yet monotone voice. "Ah, just checking up on you guys. Besides, I miss ya'll already." The blonde girl chuckled lightly. "No problems here. The Little Master and the others went to go pick up KOS-MOS so we'll be headed in your direction once they come back." Shane nodded some. "I'll probably defy orders and come with you guys."

"But won't that be risky?" Mary asked.

"It would be unless she had a perfectly good reason to leave," the purple-haired woman pointed out only to see the pink-haired woman nod some. "That's exactly what I'm gonna do. It's either that or instant mutiny." The blonde woman shook her head. "No way, Little Miss! You'd get arrested when you guys would get back!"

"Or worse. With how the Federation's acting up lately, they'd sentence her to death quickly. Then again...the Little Miss **is** their songstress...so they would at least give her a fair trial...I suppose," Shelley said. "Fair trial, my arse! The Little Miss would go into an all-out brawl if she wanted to! Right in the courtroom!" Shane chuckled softly. _So true... _"Hey, you two, I'll talk to you guys later. Just remember this..." The two sisters looked to the concerned yet serious face of Shane. "You two...everyone on the ship...be safe, you hear me?"

"Of course, Little Miss," Mary said with a nod as Shelley did the same. With that, the pink-haired girl ended the communication monitor.

* * *

After defeating the Gnosis dubbed Aludra Calf, the group stood around the fallen beast's body. Jr. rubbed the back of his head, groaning lightly. "Geez, what the hell is the military thinking keeping things like that around?" he asked aloud rubbing his shoulders now sore from the battle. "Yes, it's definitely not an admirable hobby."

"Anyway, it looks like everyone's okay." Allen nodded. "Well, we were able to recover KOS-MOS," he said with a slight smile. "Then there's no reason for us to stay here. Let's return to the Durandal and hurry to the Elsa's rescue." The group nodded as they left the CAT Testing Grounds and made their way to the Durandal docked at the station. After boarding, the ship took off from Fifth Jerusalem's space station. On the roof of the station, Roth Mantel watched with somewhat bored intrest as he watched the Durandal fly off into space.

"So, what are you gonna do with them?" a familiar voice asked. "Are we just going to let them go?"

The blonde man glanced at the Blue Testament who appeared walking up to him. "That's a foolish question. As we've observed, the compass swings sharply when Shion comes into contact with KOS-MOS. The Thirteenth Key. Even without our intervention, they will reach that location. Even the little princess will as well."

The caped man chuckled lightly, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess everything follows the destined flow, huh. Don't tell me you knew this was going to happen from the beginning. Ooh…scary, scary."

**Chapter 13: End**

**--------**

**Hmm...seems like I rushed through this... Other than that, nothing much to say. R&R.**

**Teaser for Chapter 14:**

Later, in Gedalya Space, the _Marquis de Sol_ floated idly by a few paces away from the hypersphere as the E.S. Striker stood on the tip of the ship, arms crossed. A group of A.W.G.S. units were in a formation above the fleet carrying automatic rifles in their hands.

_Damnit...get yourself together.._


	15. Whatever Happens Happens, ne?

**Chapter Fourteen: Whatever Happens Happens, ne?**

Later, in Gedalya Space, the _Marquis de Sol_ floated idly by a few paces away from the hypersphere as the E.S. Striker stood on the tip of the ship, arms crossed. A group of A.W.G.S. units were in a formation above the fleet carrying automatic rifles in their hands. Shane sat in the blue/white mecha's cockpit with her arms crossed and an anxious look on her face. She bit her lip while tapping her finger on her upper arm.

_Damnit...get yourself together..._

"Lieutenant Colonel, enemy units are phasing out 20 paces ahead of our fleet!" a male said over the girl's communication. She grabbed hold of the controls as the Striker's eyes turned bright gold. "Alright then...all A.W.G.S. units, get ready for battle!" The soldiers cheered over the communications saying, "Let's give 'em hell!" "We'll fight for you, our songtress of the Galaxy Federation!" Shane activated the boosters then flew towards the Gnosis who appeared in hordes, taking out two beam swords from the holsters at the machine's sides.

_**But of course...fight for the princess and get rewarded**_, Rukia commented.

_Feh._

The pink-haired young woman sliced and diced her way through the monsters like onions then fired vulcan guns from the Striker's head. The other mechas aided her by firing their machine guns and missile volleys from the ships. The monsters began to scatter as they roared or hissed, flying towards the A.G.W.S.s while firing off their own lasers from their mouths. Shane growled lowly then roared her unique battle cry--which actually sounded like a mix of a warrior princess's yell and an actual roar--pressing forward on the controls. The sudden burst of speed pushed the girl back in the pilot's seat; the machine ducking and dodging the attacks from the Gnosis.

"_I'll_ _**fucking**_ _kill you!_" she yelled. The Striker immediately opened its side slots and fired a volley of small missiles at the monsters, obliterating half of the attack force.

One of the pilots part of the A.G.W.S. unit gasped at the site. "My god...she really is a..."

"A devil disguised as a sweet angel," another replied. "We'll give her back up...and nothing more." The Striker looked around along with its pilot; the girl gritting her teeth. A sudden beeping noise came onto her radar screen as she grinned almost madly.

"About time...slowpokes.."

* * *

Further ahead of the attack was the Durandal flying towards the hypersphere. The E.S.s flew from the launch bay and towards the protected area. MOMO looked over to the blasts of light and the sounds of explosions several feet away from them then bit her bottom lip. "Ziggy...do you think Shane's over there?" she asked only to have the blonde man nod some.

"I assume so. She said that she would be in Gedalya space with the Federation fleet deployed here."

"I hope she's okay..."

"She's be fine," Jr. said over the communications. "After all, she's your "sister", right?" The pink-haired girl giggled. "She's your sister too, remember? Rukia dwells inside her." The sound of the boy shuddering was heard. "Don't remind me.." A sudden alarm went off in the mechas as the gnosis appeared at the scene. "Gnosis!"

"I see 'em...let's give 'em hell!" The E.S.s scattered, the monsters flying after them. E.S. Dinah fired its handgun at a few that threatened to attack; E.S. Zebelun firing its laser cannons from its shoulders; E.S. Asher unleashing machine gun rounds into a group of Gnosis; E.S. Reuben slicing and dicing its way through one that attacked while throwing another one into the hypersphere as it instantly disintegrated.

Inside the dark blue mecha, chaos watched the Gnosis touch the protected shield then narrowed his eyes. "The differential boundary strength of the surface is 910e," he said recieving a shocked look from Jr. "Damn, you kidding? Touch that and say good-bye, huh?"

"Apparently so."

"Gnosis?! Why are they here?" Shion exclaimed.

The Asher turned, meeting a charging dragon-like Gnosis and raising its machine gun. "Rrrgh!" The red-haired boy was about to pull the trigger only to have the beast suddenly impaled on a beam sword. "The hell...?" The mecha looked over to see the recently battle worn Striker nearby as the pilots grinned. "About time you showed up," Shane said over the communications.

"Hehe, sorry to keep you waitin', Sis!"

Jin smiled lightly as he sliced down another Gnosis then turned to the Dinah. "Shion, there's no time. Head straight for the coordinates!" The brunette nodded. "I got it!" The silver/white mecha flew towards the hypersphere, hovering towards it. Shion looked up inside the mecha and at the image of KOS-MOS standing on its shoulder.

"Are you ready, KOS-MOS?" she asked. The blue-haired android held up her arms as a soft white engulfed her and revealed her Tertiary Weapons System on her body frame. "Initialization complete. Safety released." The Dinah flew closer but just enough to stay back from its destructive shell. "We're in range. Do it anytime, KOS-MOS!"

"Acknowledged," she said. KOS-MOS fired the Tertiary Weapon System's lasers at the hypersphere along the Gnosis--which were destroyed instantly. However, the hypersphere absorbed the lasers like a sponge. The group watched in shock, surprised gasps coming over the communications. "What the hell? What's going on?" Jr. asked.

"Oh no! Even KOS-MOS can't disturb it!" MOMO replied. "Chief, maybe this is beyond us!"

"Just believe in KOS-MOS!" Shion told Allen who groaned lightly. "It's all right. I know that she'll be able to do it!" The brown-haired man nodded at her as KOS-MOS readied the weapons deployment for a second, more stronger shot. "Setting weapon deployment to maximum output!" she yelled. The Tertiary Weapon System unleashed mechanical wings then charged up its laser cannon. The blue-haired android immediately fired the lasers at the hypersphere. Soon, the lasers pierced the surface fissure from the hypersphere creating a hole; the Weapon System detaching from KOS-MOS, falling away from her body frame.

"Alright!"

"Oh yeah! We're going in!" Jr. yelled as the E.S.s flew into the hypersphere, the surface fissure closing behind the Striker who entered last. Shane looked back then bit her lip and closed her eyes. _Guys, you better be okay..._

* * *

On the Durandal's bridge, the Godwin sisters--worried--stood watching the group enter the hypersphere and vanishing. "E.S. craft have penetrated the hypersphere!" one 100-Series exclaimed. "The surface fissure has closed." Another replied, "Gnosis swarm in the surrounding space has disappeared!"

"All E.S. craft last from radar. All communications are cut off," a third one said as a sigh of relief escaped Mary's lips. "All right! They've made it through!" Shelley looked at her sister, shaking her head. "It's too early to celebrate. The Gnosis probably vanished in order to pursue them. The real challenge starts now."

"I'm sure they'll manage." The blonde woman looked at the hypersphere through the large monitor in front of them. "We just have to believe in them."

* * *

Inside of a dark cavern, Roth Mantel stood near a casket, a smitten look on his face. The casket was placed in front of a strange cross which looked like it was constructed rather crudly. The blonde man lifted his head as the Blue Testament appeared at the scene. He glanced at the casket only to sigh loudly. "You sure are infatuated with her. Is it regret from the time when you still wore a mantle of flesh? Or is it because of ambition you still hold?" he asked. The other man didn't say anything.

"Heh, heh, heh, so, now you're going to use the daughter in place of the imperfect mother? The Maiden who invites the spreading Gnosis...even the little princess, too? You're one heartless bastard. And it's not like you don't know what this is going to cause."

"It is necessary for the new world. Is your cloak just a decoration?" Roth asked. The Blue Testament scoffed.

"Hmph, I don't like the idea of that thing as the womb, but whatever. I'll give you a hand. We just need to destroy KOS-MOS, right? What about the princess's singing?" The blonde man shook his head, turning to the caped man. "It is beyond your power. The only one who can destroy KOS-MOS is T-elos. And that songtress...when the time comes, I'll deal with her."

The Testament shrugged lightly. "Oh, really? So I guess my job is to attend to the princess's little whims." He sighed then turned around, placing his hands in the air before walking off. "Works for me. I'll lead the entourage."

* * *

Later, the E.S.s hovered in the air above the landmass--abeit them behind upside down--as the group gasped at the sight. "Dude...it looks...normal here," Shane pointed out. "Don't forget, Shane. This place did appear in the middle of space. That's not normal." She pouted at the E.S. Reuben then looked away. "At least we're not in the closet--"

"What was that?" Jin asked, catching the little comment his student said. The pink-haired girl cowered in her seat and let a little whimper escape her lips. "Nothing, sensei..." Ziggy sighed lightly then looked to MOMO. "What does the scan of the interior show?" he asked.

"Temperature: 18 degrees Celsius. Pressure: 0.94. Wind speed at landing point is 20 m/s. Atmosphere is 77% nitrogen, 20% oxygen with traces of argon and carbon dioxide. The air is breathable," she said.

"What's the Elsa's position? Can we get in touch with the crew?" Jr. asked. "There's a response on the underside of the object." Shane gasped lightly. "So that means they're okay?!" The pink-haired Realian nodded. "Yes. I'm opening the channel now." In the Asher's cockpit, a communication monitor with the relieved faces of Tony and Hammer appeared. The two let out a loud cheer then held up their arms. "Woohoo! We're saved! We're gonna get out of here!" they yelled. "Little Master! Thank God you're here!"

"Out of the way! Can't believe you're getting' all excited just because they showed up..."

"You guys sound like you're doing just fine," Shane said through the communications as the Captain chuckled lightly. "Of course. You can't run a salvage business if you let every little setback get you down." Jr. chuckled lightly at the two men practically dancing. "Looks like there's a couple of exceptions to that rule," he pointed out. The man looked to his crew members then growled lowly.

"Hey! Stop goofin' around and get to your posts!" he roared. The two cut off the monitor off, ending it with the Asher. The red-head smiled lightly. "We're on our way now. Get the hangar ready for us." The Captain nodded at him. "Roger. We'll be waiting to welcome you."

* * *

A while later after the E.S.s arrived at the Elsa and unboarded, they made their way to the bridge. Shane took instant notice of how the inside looked very different from the last time. _Renovations, I suppose_, she thought to herself. Arriving at the bridge, the pink-haired girl immediately glomped her adoptive "brothers", hugged the Mechanics Division (AKA Scott and the Professor), and scolded her adoptive "father" for being his usual, loud self. Captain Matthews brushed her off then spoke to Jr. about their current situation.

"You can't escape?!" the red-head exclaimed. "Why?" The older man shrugged. "We haven't got a clue. Hey, Hammer!" The blonde navigator cleared his throat. "The logical drive isn't responding at all. There should be nothing wrong with it since it's fully repaired and functioning normally," he told the boy only to shrug afterwards. "Anyway, I haven't got a clue."

"But of course...everywhere we go, something gets fucked up by something weird," Shane muttered as she walked over to cling to chaos who squeaked at the sudden hug. "If the logical drive isn't working, there's nothing we can do."

"Yes, as things are now, the environment bugs will run out of resources first, and then we'll eventually run out of water and oxygen," the Professor said with a gleam of doom in his glasses. Everyone looked to the short old man with shocked yet worried looks, Tony and Hammer letting out small whimpers of distress. "Professor…"

"Something in this strange land must be affecting it. We'll have to go out and have a look."

"You're certain that something in this land is causing it?" Ziggy asked the old man who shook his head lightly. "It's impossible to be sure. But I think it's worth investigating." Jr. nodded, placing his hands on his hips. "Gotcha. Captain, get things ready so you can launch at any time. Don't worry, we'll have you outta here in no time."

* * *

After speaking with John Bunnie, pulling Shane away from nearly punting the poor thing with its cutesy voice, and getting some energizers for the E.S.s, the group boarded the biblical named mechas and moved deeper into the caves near the Elsa. The pink-haired young woman growled lightly as she tapped her finger against the controls, looking at the Asher. "Why'd you pull me away, Jr.?" she asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Because...you would've went all crazy. You said you disliked his voice, didn't you?"

"And besides, Shane, some of us need limitless energy like yours." She blushed darkly at chaos's comment then nodded slightly. "Ah...true.." Moving up a pathway, Shion noticed a large purple crystal ahead of them. "What's that?" she asked aloud. KOS-MOS looked to the crystal, analyzing it internally.

"This is a Geocrystal," she answered only to have Shane fire upon it with her machine gun. The dark blue mecha turned to the Striker, its red-haired pilot having a slight twitch to his eye. "Damnit, girl, keep your finger off the trigger!" The young woman snickered lightly and held up her hands. "It slipped." He scoffed. _Slipped, my ass..._

"Thanks to Shane, we know that we can't destroy it even with the power of the E.S.s," Ziggy said. Shane let out a triphant cry as Jr. groaned softly. "chaos, you need to get your girl.."

"How can I get her if I'm in here?" The mecha group moved on to another cave where they found another Geocrystal just above the one from before on a ledge where they were. The Dinah striked the strange purple crystal as it fell onto the crystal below and breaking it like glass. "Hmm. So, if we hit the crystal with another, we can destroy it." The E.S.s moved on inside a new cave, finding another crystal, MOMO pointing over at it.

"There's a Geocrystal over there, too," she said. "It looks difficult to knock this one down."

"Yeah. And if we did, it'd block our path," Jr. pointed out. Jin looked over at the Asher. "We'll have to hit with the other one and destroy it." The mechas moved on and found a fourth Geocrystal in the highest part of the mountains/caves. As the E.S. Dinah pushed the crystal off the ledge, it crashed into the other Geocrystal which previously blocked the E.S.s path. "Target successfully destroyed," KOS-MOS said. "We can now proceed."

"Good job, KOS-MOS! Let's go back down." The mechas soon returned to the previous floor where the crystal that blocked their path used to be as Shion nodded to the large cave entrance. "Okay, here we go!"

* * *

In the next area, the five E.S.s moved into a large and open cave, gasps of awe coming over the individual communications. "Woa! Where are we?" Jr. asked as MOMO looked around. "It looks like a cave...a very wide one." The red-haired boy nodded some then looked over to the far wall, zooming in with the Asher's camera. It was a tablet on the wall partially covered by rock. "Hum? Is that Hebrew? No, maybe it's ancient Aramaic? _"Behold the great…"_ Aah! I don't know. I can't read it."

"Aww, can't read now?" Shane teased.

"Shut the _**fuck**_ up, Shane, or I'll kick you ass!" he growled.

"_And, behold_," MOMO began, "_there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it._" Jr. turned his head to the pink mecha with a shocked look on his face. "Wow! You can read it?!" The girl shook her head lightly.

"No, I recognize it. They're exactly the same words that I've seen before. It was recorded and stored in Daddy's Y-Data."

"Mizrahi's?" the red-haired boy asked. Shane looked at them only to have the hair on the back of her neck rise and the sound of an cannon firing. "Look out!" she yelled as the E.S.s jump back; a dark red laser hitting the ground where they once stood and leaving a large scorch mark. "Shit...thanks for the save, Shane..."

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" a familiar voice called out. The group looked up to see the blue caped man standing on board a large black machine that looked like a tank. The mask he wore hid the small grin he had on his face. "Don't you know it's rude to come into someone's home uninvited!" Jr. gasped loudly then narrowed his blue eyes. "Testament?!"

"You...you were in the Song of Nephilim," Shion said. "And at Old Miltia with that Sergius guy...you helped kill him along with your two color-coordinating buddies."

"Oh, so you remember me?" he asked delighted from Shion and Shane's recogniton. "Well, isn't that nice. I find that rather interesting...You see, I remember you, too..." He recieved up to take off his mask. "I remember that you let me _**die**_!" He snatched the beak-like mask from his face to reveal that he was a man with short blonde hair and scarring on the corner of his mouth and over his left eye. The brunette gasped loudly, her blue-green eyes widening at the sight.

"But, Lieutenant Virgil! How?!"

"Ehh? Oh yeah...the one who got riddled with lead," the pink-haired young woman said looking to the side. Virgil felt his eyebrow twitch then chuckled darkly. "Now don't get all sentimental on me. It's not like I've been hiding out here in this dump all this time just so the two of us can talk about old memories," he told Shion as he spread out his arms. "Hardly! No, I've got business to attend to with your craft!" Suddenly, the machine he was on transformed into a much larger weapon--the laser cannon on top--and fired at the group who managed to evade the attack.

"Wait, Lieutenant! You're right! It's true th-that…that was—"

"Like I've told you before, all your self-righteous crap makes me sick!" he growled at Shion who flinched at his words. MOMO looked over at the tablet on the wall then gasped once the letters began to glow a bright blue color, the E.S.s emanating a dark purple aura. "Jr.! Look at the letters on the wall!" she said. Shane looked at the tablet as she gasped, gripping her head tightly. "Oh...fuck...!" _What's going on, Rukia?!_

_**Nngha...I..I don't know...but I...this feeling..!**_ the girl's voice said. _**It's the same...when Issachar and Asher began to resonate..**_

"Damn! It's already started," Virgil growled catching the red-haired boy's attention. "Wait! What's going on?!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! You were riding them without even knowing about that? Oh, whoops. And you're still "compelled" to ride them now, huh? Ha, ha, ha! Now **that** really is funny!" He looked to the Striker then raised an eyebrow at the machine. "Hn?" The blonde man narrowed his eyes some then chuckled lightly. _I see...that E.S. is built differently...nothing's too good for the little princess, eh?_

"What are you talking about?!" Shion questioned as the aura disappeared. Virgil chuckled again. "It's quite simple! That is the kind of place this is, to those Vessels of Anima that you're using."

"To the Vessels of Anima?" Jr. growled lowly. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Come on. You're not very bright are you?" The caped man narrowed his eyes darkly then pointed to his head. "_Why don't you just try using your heads a little for once?!_" Jin watched Virgil warily only to hear Shane's soft laughter coming from her communication line. "Shane, what's wrong?" he asked concerned. "This guy...he keeps babbling about this weird shit...why doesn't he act on it instead of trying to talk my _**fuckin'**_ ears off?!"

"Oh, the little princess has a mouth on her! Why don't I just shut you up, huh?!"

"Try it, you half-dead bitch!"

Ziggy sighed lightly. "And I thought she was bad before..."

* * *

Sounds of gunfire and beam firing off echoed throughout the caves, making the ground shake slightly. The E.S.s fired at the much larger black mecha while dodging its own attacks. The Striker and Asher fired their machine guns at the mecha, the latter machine's red-haired pilot growling. "Damnit...Shane!" The pink-haired girl nodded. "I hear ya!" The blue/white mecha moved back then took out its beam sword, rushing the black mecha. Shane let out her battle cry and slammed the sword into its side. She moved back on the controls as the Striker moved its arms up, slicing the armor like cheese.

"I'll take you out, pal!!" she yelled her eyes glowing a deep gold. "Shane, watch out!" The girl looked to the side and barely dodged a hit from the black mecha's fist as she groaned softly. "Damnit..!" The Dinah awakened its Anima then fired a special attack, the others following suit. The Blue Testament chuckled darkly.

"Hah hah hah, I love it!" Virgil yelled over the communications. "I can clearly feel your hatred!" The black machine soon awakened its own Anima and unleashed several damaging attacks, its pilot laughing madly in the process. Shane held her head as she growled lowly at the mecha then fired the vulcan guns on the Striker's head. Then, she activated the hidden cannons from the back.

"Eat this! Vulcan Cannon, full blast!!" she yelled.

Virgil scoffed lightly. "Heh, you think you're winning? Your attacks have no effect on me!"

The cannons' blast slammed into the black mecha's side then more damage was added when the E.S.s Reuben and Dinah fired their own weapons. Once that was done, the enemy machine--E.S. Nephtali--powered down. He reappeared on top of the black mecha with his arms crossed. "Heh! Well this is interesting," he said. "I guess there's just too many of you." Shion looked to the man with a confused look on her face. "Lieutenant, you died. You're supposed to be dead. So how—"

" 'How did I get here?' Is that your question? Am I alive or am I dead? It doesn't really matter. That isn't even important. Then again...it's not something that I would expect _you_ to be able to understand."

"Oh, please. Enough babbling nonsense, _partner_," a familiar voice called out as a large white machine appeared above the group near a hole in the cave ceiling. On top of it stood a man dressed in nothing but white, a mask covering his face. "What's this?! Is the new kid coming to crash the party?" The white caped man held out his hand. "The time has come! Or, what? Were you planning on staying here forever?"

Both Shane/Rukia and Jr.'s eyes widened in shock. That voice was disturbingly clear. "Th-that voice! A-Albedo?" the pink-haired woman asked in Rukia's voice. The Blue Testament chuckled lightly as he teleported to the white E.S. and standing near the other man. "Hey, wait a minute! Albedo! It's you isn't it?! Did you forget about me and Rukia?!" The man didn't answer only holding out his hand towards Naphtali as it suddenly began to glow brightly. The white E.S. glowed, magically pulling the Vessel of Anima out of the black E.S. much to Shion's shock.

"Vessel of Anima! Why?" she asked. "You mean you pilot E.S.s as well?!" The white mecha soon absorbed the spinal cord-esque item as the Naphtali broke down onto the ground. Then the white machine began to fly up out of the hole in the cave ceiling. "No, wait Albedo!" The Asher stepped forward and reached for them only to have the same purple aura surround it and the other 3 E.S.s as the tablets glowed brightly.

"What?! What the hell?!" Jr. tried to get the blue mecha to move only that it froze in place. "_**Damn!**_ The E.S. isn't responding!"

"Neither is mine. The energy gain is dropping," Ziggy said. "It's going to shut down!" MOMO activated the computer on her end, biting her lip as she hurriedly typed at the controls. "Output still dropping!" She shook her head with a slight groan. "It's no good. Unable to sustain current levels!"

"Ha, ha, ha! That's what I tried to tell you!" Virgil's amused voice echoed through the cave. "Like I said before, that's the kind of place this is. Oh well. Good luck figuring it out!" Shane growled then looked to the others as the E.S.s suddenly shut down and became non-functional. "Damnit..." Shion looked to the Striker, opening the emergency hatch of the Dinah and climbing out. "Hey...how come yours didn't shut down?"

"Because I'm using a different power source than you guys," the pink-haired woman said. "Even though this machine was built by Vector, it's still a prototype."

"I see."

The others followed, disembarking their E.S.s as the brunette dismissed them with her portable computer. Afterwards, the group faced a big entrance to another area. Jr. folded his arms and growled lowly while looking around. "Dammit, we'll have to walk the rest of the way," he said. "What did Lieutenant Virgil mean by "that's what kind of place this is"?" Shane shrugged lightly.

"I expect the answer to that question lies ahead," Jin said nodding to the entrance. The pink-haired girl moved towards it then turned to them with a small smile. "Right then. We'll find out how to get out of this place. Until then, whatever happens..well, happens, ne?"

**Chapter 14: End**

* * *

**Nothing much to say only that I did drag this out... (scratches head) R&R, you know what I love. ;D**

**Teaser for Chapter 15: **

"Where are we?" Jr. asked looking around. "Did we come out on the surface?" Shane shook her head and held her arms. "Man, how the hell can something like this be floating out in space?"

Shion moved ahead of the group, a shocked look coming over her face. _Huh?!_ "Damnit, this place gives me the creeps..." The brunette let out a soft gasp, catching Shane's attention. "Myu?"


	16. Sudden Attack, Another KOSMOS!

**Chapter Fifteen: Sudden Attack, Another KOS-MOS?!**

The group walked inside of the ruins of an ancient temple then through another set of ruins. Shion noticed a pair of stairs leading up to a dim light; a way out, possibly. The group walked up the stairs (Shion and Jr. in front) as they came up and out of a fog-filled place that looked similar to a graveyard abeit broken statues littered the ground.

"Where are we?" Jr. asked looking around. "Did we come out on the surface?" Shane shook her head and held her arms. "Man, how the hell can something like this be floating out in space?"

Shion moved ahead of the group, a shocked look coming over her face. _Huh?!_ "Damnit, this place gives me the creeps..." The brunette let out a soft gasp, catching Shane's attention. "Myu?"

"This...is..."

"What's up, Shion?" the red-head asked. The brunette moved a few paces away from the group as she held her chest. "I've...seen this place before," she said in a quiet voice. "It's the place...in my dream." A silent bell made Shion turn her head, a hazy vision making her sight become black and white. She looked around then saw a ghostly apparition of a little girl appearing a few feet away.

"...Nephilim?"

The brunette glanced at the girl who walked away with her hands placed in front of her dress. Shion began to follow her only to hold her head in pain as her vision went from black and white to red-violet. "Oh, my head---"

"Shion?"

She turned her head to see chaos--her vision back to normal--walking over to her with a concerned look. "Are you alright? What's wrong?" She smiled weakly then shook her head. "I'm fine," she told him. "It's nothing." Shane looked over, holding her own head. MOMO saw the gesture and walked over to the girl. "Are you okay, Shane? Your brain waves seem a bit...strange. Are you and Rukia arguing in there?"

"...No, just a small headache. Rukia's been feeling the same way: sick to our stomachs." The young woman looked to the pink-haired girl then shook her head lightly."And it's not _that_, either." MOMO giggled lightly. "Okay then. We better follow the others. We don't want to get left behind."

"Right."

* * *

In the next area, the group made their way inside of a large cave. On the time-wore stone pathway they stood, 12 squares were placed a few feet apart from one another. Jin looked around as he admired how large the cave was. "This is an impressive sight," he said.

"...It looks like a tomb," Shane said folding her arms. Jr. walked forward, looking at a box with the top broken by something. "Are those coffins?" The red-head and the black-haired man walked over to it and looked inside. "It's empty. Did some grave robbers get to it or something?" The older man scoffed. "I doubt there would be grave robbers in a place like this, but that is strange..." MOMO gasped softly as she and Shane looked at the floor coffin, catching the other's attention.

"Jr.! Look!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed. "What it is, MOMO?"

"You're gonna freak out at this, little bro..." The young woman pointed to the coffin where MOMO was standing. "This tombstone...it's got a name.." The pink-haired girl nodded. "This coffin has the name "Asher" on it."

A shocked look came onto Jr.'s face. "...Huh?" He looked over to another coffin, walking over to it. "This one says..."Dinah"? You've got to be kidding me," he said stepping back. "They're all...E.S. names...!"

"This is weird," Shion said in a frightened voice. "It's all too..well, strange." The rest of the group nodded. "Like something out of a bad mystery movie strange...Scooby Doo's got nothing on this one.."

"...Who's Scooby Doo?" chaos asked as Shane patted his head. "A...well..it's too complicated."

* * *

A little while later after learning the names on the floor coffins (much to the shock of the group), Shion moved her way towards a widened space on the far north wall with KOS-MOS following after her. She took notice of a familiar cross along with a stone coffin in the floor. The brunette covered her mouth in startlement. _This is the place from KOS-MOS's subconscious domain_, she thought. _...But why is it here?_ She turned her head to the blue-haired android who stared at her with seemingly emotionless red eyes.

"KOS-MOS, do you know this location?" Shion asked only to see the girl shake her head. "No. My memory contains no data regarding our current location." The brunette sighed softly. "Yeah, you've never been here since you were developed..." She looked to the coffin, placing a finger to her chin. _But why is it here?_

"Oi, Shion, let's go! You and KOS-MOS are gonna get left behind!" Shane yelled to the girls. They looked to the pink-haired young woman then nodded walking over to the group. As the group began to leave the cave, a shadowy figure watched. The figure pointed a weapon towards Shion's direction and fired only to have KOS-MOS block it with a barrier.

"Ah, what the fu--who did that?!" Jr. growled looking back along with the group to see a white-haired, dark-skinned woman jump down a few feet from them. Shion gasped at the sight of the woman. "T-elos! Why is she here?!" The android wore her vision shield over half of her face as she smirked lightly. "I'm here for the Thirteenth Key," she stated. "The time of awakening has arrived." Once she finished that, the shield moved back into her headgear to reveal she had deep blue eyes and a frigteningly familar face.

"Wait a minute...what is she?" Ziggy asked aloud.

"She's...KOS-MOS," MOMO replied with a shocked voice. The red-haired boy narrowed his eyes at the sight of T-elos who placed a hand on her hip. "So that's the T-Weapon? Someone has a twisted sense of humor, making her look exactly like KOS-MOS."

"Or either is a big fan of her," Shane said only to have a sudden gasp come from the back of her head. **No...she..** She held her head gently. _You again? What's the matter?_ The pink-haired girl didn't receive an answer only to look at T-elo along with the rest of the group. chaos looked at the white-haired android, immediately sensing something was wrong. "This presence," he said to himself then gasped. "But wait...she can't be!"

"Eh? What are you talking about?" The white-haired boy looked to Shane then shook his head. "It's...complicated.."

"A simple doll that doesn't even understand its reason for existence," the other android said in a human-sounding voice. A sudden burst of power came from her as she raised her left arm and moved it to the side. "To ensure that I continue to exist as myself… KOS-MOS… I'm going to destroy you."

**Chapter 15: End**

* * *

**A short chapter this time. Yaay. XD R&R!**

**Teaser for Chapter 15.5: **

_T-elos, a Gnosis combat android or whatever, attacked us out of the blue. Freaky thing is she looked just liked KOS-MOS but with color changes, at least. She said something about "continuing to exist as herself" and that she was after the Thirteenth Key. Whatever the case, something doesn't feel right about it..._


	17. Phase Shift Transfer

**Chapter 15.1: Phase Shift Transfer**

**A/N: This'll be a semi-short/long chapter [hence why it is called 'Chp. 15.5'..but I changed it to 15.1.. (rubs head)]. So, R&R, please! Oh, if anyone was wondering...yes, Shane's still wearing her spacesuit from before.**

_T-elos, a Gnosis combat android or whatever, attacked us out of the blue. She said something about "continuing to exist as herself" and that she was after the Thirteenth Key. Whatever the case, something doesn't feel right about it..._

Shane and the rest of the group readied their weapons as T-elos stood with a strange yet excited smile on her face. She glanced to everyone only to take out the gun from her holster on her leg and shoot towards them. KOS-MOS blocked the shots with another shield; Jr. firing at the white-haired woman with his twin handguns while MOMO shot a few arrows in her direction. The android dodged from the attacks only to rush at the group.

"Scatter!" Jin yelled as they jumped out of the way from T-elos's rush attack. Shane growled loudly, holding out her hand and grabbing the hilt of her magical sword tightly. "Oi, you KOS-MOS look-alike bitch, over here!" The white-haired android turned, a displeased look on her face. She glanced to the sword the pink-haired girl wore then smiled lightly. T-elos rushed at the girl as she moved her arm to the side; the sword hidden revealing itself in her armguard. The two dark-skinned females clashed with one another several times.

"The elite ace of the Federation," the android said with a small smirk. "And the songstress of the universe. Why is it that you are here?"

"It's none of your damn business!" Shane yelled aiming a punch to the white-haired woman's face only to have her gloved fist connect with the ground and leaving a small crater. "And also a reckless _child_."

"Fuck you, bitch!"

"Shane, get out of the way!" Shion yelled. The pink-haired girl complied then jumped up into the air, landing behind her. "_Open Ether Circuit! __**Ice Blast I!**_" The brunette held up her hand as water gathered around T-elos then hardened around her which trapped her in a block of ice only to have it suddenly break. The white-haired woman stumbled, growling lightly. She pointed the gun at the group and fired rapid shots which grazed MOMO, Jr., Jin, and chaos. They yelled out as they fell to one knee.

"Ow...that hurt, damnit!" the red-haired boy growled. The pink-haired girl held her arms which bled from cuts the bullets left. "You okay, MOMO?" She nodded and stood up, firing a few arrows towards T-elos. Jin stood up slowly as he looked to his right arm bleeding. "A scatter shot," he quickly analyzed before looking at the dark android again. "Alright..._open Ether Circuit! __**Thunder Bolt II!**_" Out of nowhere, lightning struck the white-haired woman who froze up a bit only to suddenly reboot again.

"Rahhh!!" Shane clashed swords with T-elos again. The two began a small sword fight; the pink-haired girl swinging her shinken sword at her. The dark android blocked the attack only to get punched in the face which made her stumble back. The young woman shook her hand, hissing lightly. "God, your face hurts...!"

KOS-MOS jumped over Shane's head, firing her machine gun at T-elos. The white-haired android dodged them, getting her arm grazed slightly. "There's no need to rush," she said. "I'll dispose of each of you in turn." She jumped back as she held up her hand, a reddish-white aura surrounding her: the Overtaker. She chuckled darkly then held up her hand once more. The group was hit with either a Satellite attack, shot at, or slashed with her hidden sword.

"God, this is not fun at all," the pink-haired young woman muttered. "Battles aren't supposed to be fun..." Shane glanced at Jr. who was picking himself off the ground and shaking his red locks of dirt. She then looked to the others who steadied themselves as Ziggy fired his missile laucher at T-elos; the latter surviving the blast.

"Damn...she's a monster," the blonde man said narrowing his eyes. The white-haired woman smirked softly then let a dark look come over her face. "This is where you die!" Shane stood up, T-elos activating the Overtaker again while stumbling lightly. She closed her eyes gently and lowered her sword. _Rukia...gimme some of your strength_, she thought. She heard the other girl laugh softly.

_**You're asking me for help now? Wow, that KOS-MOS imitation worked you over, eh?**_

_Just do it.._

Rukia chuckled lightly. _**Heh, alright, calm down.. **_Shane opened her eyes again to show they were mismatched: left eye blue and right eye green. The girl raised the shinken in her hand, twirling it then pointing it at the white-haired android. "**Alright, T-elos or whatever the hell your name is**," she said in the combined voices of Shane and Rukia. "**Time for me to kick your ass!**"

"You will not defeat me, child. I wish to destroy KOS-MOS; but if you refuse to stand aside, I will be forced to kill you."

The pink-haired girl chuckled then suddenly vanished, reappearing behind the dark android. "**Peek-a-boo.**" The white-haired woman managed to block a premeditated punch to the face only to have a knee rammed into her stomach. Shaka--a fusion of both the girl's names--grinned madly then slammed the hilt of the shiken into T-elos's jaw. The dark android's head turned with the impact only to jump back, skidding across the rocky ground. The pink-haired girl rushed at her; the black hilted shinken disappearing into particles back into her hand. Shaka took out a gun from a holster attached to her belt as she fired several shots into T-elos's body; the latter falling to one knee.

"So...this is the power of the Federation Ace," the white-haired woman said gently. Shaka narrowed her eyes. She glanced back to KOS-MOS; her chain gun appearing in her hand. The pink-haired girl jumped back and landed beside Jr. as the blue-haired android activated her chain gun then fired at T-elos' body on the floor; the area covered in flames afterwards.

"Is it over?" Shion asked. The red-haired boy chuckled, twirling his handgun. "Hah! Some top-secret weapon that thing was." Shaka narrowed her mismatched eyes, a dark look coming over her face.

_Something doesn't feel right..._

"Shion. The enemy unit's output is 4.75 times higher than mine," KOS-MOS stated. "Even if with Shane's abilities and our own, we are at a clear disadvantage." The brunette looked to the woman with a confused look written on her face. "What? Wait, what do you mean?" she asked. She watched the blue-haired woman raise her left arm in front of her. "I am going to delay the enemy unit. Please retreat immediately." The group looked to where T-elos was only to see her standing amidst the smoke and flames, a hand on her hip.

"What the!? Even after all those attacks, she's still completely unharmed?" Shion asked in shock. "**Keh...I knew something was off...bitch's been holding back...**"

KOS-MOS rushed towards T-elos and began fighting her in single hand-to-hand combat. However, most of the blue-haired android's attacks were ineffective against the white-haired woman. T-elos kicked KOS-MOS to the floor as the latter landed with a loud thud. The blue-haired girl jumped up to her feet then kicked at the other woman only to have her grab her ankle. T-elos throws her to the floor and tries to break off KOS-MOS's right arm. KOS-MOS manages to free herself and as the fight continues, T-elos knocks KOS-MOS down badly to the floor.

"It's useless," a voice said that sounded all too familiar to Shion and Shaka. Behind T-elos, Roth Mantel stepped out of the shadows with a smug smirk on his face. "We've already completely analyzed her combat patterns." The brunette gasped, causing a rather dark frown come onto the pink-haired girl's face. "Why are you here?! What do you mean, analyzed? Do you mean…that task?"

The blonde man moved closer to Shion as he continued to smile. "It's probably against both of your wills, but it's KOS-MOS's fate to be destroyed by T-elos in this place."

"**And who the fuck are you to say that to her?!**" Shaka growled. "**Moreover, how the fuck did you and your copy get here in the first place?!**"

"Heh, as blunt as usual...bu the answer is simple. My job is to observe you." He held out his arms as his clothing changed to red clothing; his hair covered by a hood and his face covered by a mask. Shion's eyes widened. "T-testament!" T-elos jumped up as KOS-MOS did the same. "You have no time to be surprised," he said. "Your princess is losing." Shion and the group watched the two androids duke it out in mid-air; Shaka narrowing her eyes at the Red Testament.

During the fight, the white-haired android activated her left arm blade then slashed at her blue-haired counterpart's face only to cut off the circlet/tiara she wore and her cheek. T-elos gripped her frist, aiming to thrust her sword into KOS-MOS as the latter grabbed it and broke free, kicking the white-haired android to the far wall. The blue-haired woman landed on the ground then stood up, glancing back at the others. "Shion, I will only last 140 seconds with my current capacity. Please hurry."

Shion gasped then shook her head wildly. "No way! I refuse to leave you behind, KOS-MOS!" The brunette began to step forward only to have the pink-haired young woman hold up her arm in front of her. "Shane...!"

"**Don't**," she said with a hint of a British voice. "**It's her fight, not ours anymore.**"

As the fight continued, T-elos grabbed KOS-MOS's leg and swung her around, throwing her to the wall. To the group's shock, the white-haired android charged towards them only to have the blue-haired girl grab her fist; holding her back. "KOS-MOS!" Shion yelled. She held the woman's fist as her left arm began to emit sparks much to the brunette's surprise. KOS-MOS held out her free hand; her machine gun appearing and fired at T-elos who jumped back out of harm's way.

"Damn you!" Jr. yelled as he fired his handguns at the white-haired android in a flurry of bullets and dust. After emptying out their guns, they stopped when a large amount of ceiling stones fell to the floor where the woman was. Suddenly from out of the dust and smoke, T-elos stood on top of a rock with her hand on her hip; the cloudy lighting from a newly made hole in the ceiling shining down on her.

"KOS-MOS, what is the actual reason for your existence?" she asked her voice sounding eeriely similar to the said blue-haired android. "You are nothing more than an empty vessel. How pathetic. You'll never be able to accomplish anything. Return to dust, so that I may truly…awaken!" The white-haired woman held out her arms as her chest plate opened with 3-pronged attachments. Red energy began to gather in the attachments, growing bigger and bigger.

"What is that?!" MOMO exclaimed.

"A phase transfer cannon?!" Shion gasped. "She's going to fire it at this close range?!" The brunette looked to KOS-MOS who stepped forward, raising her hand. "KOS-MOS!" Shion's pendant glowed slightly just as T-elos fired the phase transfer cannon, levitating in the process. The blue-haired woman activated her barrier shield only to be engulfed in the blast; the group being knocked back from the shockwave. As the group recovered themselves, KOS-MOS suddenly fell backwards onto the floor with a thud; her left arm missing.

Shion looked at the girl with wide blue-green eyes. "...KOS-MOS," she said as her pendant began to react again. "But why...KOS-MOS!" Shaka held her head then looked to the white-haired woman who--for a brief moment--turned into a young woman with long brownish-black hair. _The fuck...?_ She shook her head only to see T-elos in place of the girl. _Who was...that?_ The group watched in shock as T-elos began to stomp on KOS-MOS's chest repeatedly; a look of pure anger on her face.

"No! Please, stop!"

"_**I**_ am order!" the white-haired woman yelled, continuing to stomp on the already defeated girl's chest. "Not you, KOS-MOS!"

"_**Stop it!!**_"

With one last fierce stomp from T-elos, a loud crunching noise echoed through the cave; the blue-haired android's chest sparking violently. The pendant around Shion's neck glowed again as the brunette's eyes widened. From above, the Red Testament watched with interest; a smirk coming onto his hidden face. KOS-MOS's body suddenly began to glow a bright white light which made the group look on in shock.

MOMO looked on as she was held protectively by Jr. "KOS-MOS is--"

"Woa! What the hell is that light?!" he yelled. The stone coffin on the far north wall began to glow as well. "KOS-MOS, _**no!**_" Shion screamed holding her chest. The area began to be engulfed in white light; the Red Testament smirking behind his mask and raised his hands. "Now, reveal yourself to us," he said. Soon, the entire hypersphere was engulfed in white light. "Show us your spark of fire."

* * *

Outside of the hypersphere, the Durandal and its occupants watched as the landmass--along with its protective layer--was engulfed in the white light. "What's that? What is going on?!" Mary asked in a worried voice. "Unable to determine. The hypersphere had suddenly begun to contract." The hypersphere began to shift its form; the bridge of the large red ship shaking near violently. "The gravity variation is too great! We'll be pulled in," Shelly informed her panicking blonde sister. "We have to leave this area immediately!"

Warning lights began to go off on the bridge as Mary gritted her teeth, a look of worry on her face. "Little Master! Little Miss, please respond! Little Master! Little Miss!!"

Elsewhere, Wilhelm stood at his office window with his hands behind his back as a small smile came over his calm and plasive features. "It has begun. Once again, in the same place, it has begun."

**Chapter 15.1: End**

--------

Yaay, I finally finished it. Truly sorry for the long wait...been writing the other chapters of my other fics. Expect updates of My Final Heaven soon...maybe a double update if you're lucky. :3 R&R, please. (bows)

**Teaser for Chp. 16**:

_"How the hell...did that happen?" Jr. asked pointing to the two young women who shared one body. The two shrugged. They were like twins; except for their hair color and skin tones. The red-haired boy held his head then sat down. "Oh no. You're not having a nervous breakdown, are you, Jr?" MOMO asked only to see him shake his head._

_"My nervous breakdown happened when I met her..."_


	18. Thrown Back Into Time, Part 1

**Chapter Sixteen: Thrown Back Into Time, Part 1 - A Familiar World -**

_**ASM**__: Here's Chp. 16 for you. Enjoy! :3_

_**Shane and Rukia**__: And get fanservice next chapter! (wink)_

-------

Inside of a moonlit apartment, Shion stood looking up at a blue planet wearing a white button up shirt and underpants; a bit of her bangs covering her right eye. She glanced in awe of the planet then placed a hand against her chest. "It's beautiful," she said to herself. "It's hard to believe that somewhere out there in that sea of stars, planets are being destroyed by the Gnosis phenomenon."

"In the distant past, people were forced into space by unavoidable circumstances."

The brunette turned her head to see her love, Kevin, walking over to her wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. "400 years since then, they never encountered any life forms they could call neighbors," he said. "Just when everyone had given up and assumed that humans were alone in the universe, the Gnosis approached us in order to erase mankind from the cosmos." He looked up at the planet with Shion as she looked at him.

"My grandfather used to say that all of creation has a meaning and purpose, and that that's why we're allowed to exist in the universe," she said. "If that's true, then perhaps we are fated to perish. Maybe the universe itself is rejecting us."

Kevin glanced at her. "Maybe we are the ones that are rejecting the universe by trying to change that fate," he said. "Is that why you built KOS-MOS?" The dark-haired man looked away. "...The planet where I was born was destroyed by the Gnosis. I lost my mother there, as well." Shion gasped in surprise. "Oh..." He stepped back a little then looked up at the planet again. "I was the only one that survived. Sometimes, I don't know if what I'm doing is to atone for not being able to do anything, or to take revenge against those who took everything from me. (faces Shion) But I can say that even if the universe desires otherwise, she is our hope."

"I think I understand how you feel. I lost my parents on Miltia."

"Shion..." The brunette turned from him, closing her eyes. "Why am I here? What should I be doing? Where am I going? It's as if everything is hidden in a deep fog on a distant shore." Kevin walked up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "But right now, if that's where hope lies, I want to grant your wish." The brunette felt a small chain go around her neck, glancing down to see a small white diamond-shaped crystal attached to a gold chain. She gasped lightly and touched the crystal.

"Is this—Is this—the pendant your mother gave you?" she asked in shock. The dark-haired man smiled some. "The path I'm walking may be a mistake. I don't know for sure. Will you walk…down this path with me?" The brunette gripped the pendant gently, her lip quivering slightly. "Oh, Kevin..." He smiled again as the two of them embraced and kissed each other gently...

_'I didn't want it to end...'_

_**Shion, are you feeling...joy?**_

_'Joy? Yes. I'm happy. Very happy.'_

_**Happy?**_

_'I feel fulfilled.'_

_**By this memory?**_

_'Yes, it's a wonderful memory. The days I spent with him. Feelings of warmth… I want to stay like this forever.'_

_**Forever...**_

_'Even if I were to be born again…'_

_**Eternally...**_

_'Over and over...'_

_**Over and over...**_

_'Over and over......But--'_

* * *

Shion opened her eyes to a soft white light, nearly blinding her as she sat up slowly. Her vision began to clear up and saw that she was in a lush green forest...by herself. The brunette held her head gently, biting her lip. "Where am I?" she asked outloud. "...We went into the hypersphere to rescue the Elsa, and then T-elos and KOS-MOS--!" Shion gasped, looking around and stood up.

"KOS-MOS! Where is everyone?! Where am I?"

The brunette woman looked to a pathway then walked it, wandering through the forest. She kept a firm yet gentle hand on the pendant she wore until she began to walk by a grove of trees.

"Don't move!" a voice yelled making the woman stop. Shion was then tackled to the ground, yelping. "Nha!"

"Jr., wait!" a certain pink-haired Realian cried out as she and chaos jumped out of their hiding spot. "Jr., that's not an enemy!" The red-head blinked at them. "What?!" He turned his head to meet the angered gaze of Shion, squeaking lightly. "Oh, Shion!"

"Jr.?! Why did you do that?!" she growled. He chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his head. "Ah, sorry...I thought you were an enemy..." She groaned softly then looked to their position: the boy was straddling her stomach. "...Could you get off me?" He looked down and blushed. "Oh, sorry." Jr. got off the woman as she stood up when Ziggy and Jin jumped out from their hiding spot. She sighed softly. "I'm glad everyone's okay."

"Actually--" MOMO began. "We can't find KOS-MOS, Shane, or the crew of the Elsa. I'm sure they were transported with us, but—"

"Transported? Do you mean a warp transfer?" Shion asked as the boy nodded. "Yeah, we don't know where we are yet, but it was probably that light."

"Oh, no..." The brunette held her head gently, looking up at the sky. "This isn't helping us get anywhere. Let's go find KOS-MOS, Shane, and the crew." The small group nodded their heads and walked through the forest. The group moved up onto a mountain through another pathway connected to a cave. The group walked out of the cave then up a hill as Shion looked up to a strange building off in the distance. She suddenly gasped in shock, making the rest of the group stop. "It can't be. That's impossible. Jin…" The older man looked back at his sister. "What's wrong, Shion?" The brunette pointed a shaky hand up to the familiar building, his eyes following her finger.

A surprised look came over his face. "H-huh?! It...can't be...!"

"But it is," Jr. said in grim voice. "There's no mistaking it....That's Labyrinthos." Ziggy looked to the red-head with a confused look. "Labyrinthos? From Miltia? Wasn't it destroyed during the Conflict?" He glanced at the blonde-haired man, nodding some. "Yeah, I can't believe it either. But there's no doubt about it. If that exists, that means we're on Miltia, at least fifteen years ago."

"Do you mean...we're in the past?" MOMO asked.

"I dunno about that. We were in the past when dove into KOS-MOS's subconscious." The blonde cyborg folded his arms across his chest. "Yes, that might be possible as well." chaos looked to the group then up at Labyrinthos with a grim look.

_This place..._

* * *

The group moved on to another area of the forest where the trees began to thin out some. Suddenly, the sound of firecrackers rang out through the woods, scaring the birds and alerting the group. Shion jumped at the sound as she gasped slightly. "Gunshots!" MOMO yelled. Another gunshot was heard, making Jr. turn his head. "Over there!"

"Let's go!" chaos yelled as the group ran to where the gunshots were last heard. This would be easier if we had Shane with us, Shion thought to herself. She can smell better than we can... The group stopped near a clearing surrounded with trees; Jin raising his hand. "Jin?" He looked back at the brunette and placed a finger against his lips. "Quiet!" The group looked on to see two identical blonde-haired men pointing rifles at another blonde man who held his side and pointed a handgun at the two other men.

"Dammit!" he cursed through gritted teeth. "I can't die before I rendezvous with the main unit!"

The group watched through the trees as Ziggy looked to Shion. "Those are combat Realians. Looks like they're against Federation soldiers."

"What do you wanna do?" Jr. asked. "He's not going to last long." The brunette nodded. "We can't just abandon someone who's hurt. Let's help him!" Just as Shion said that, two blurs suddenly came out of the trees and landed behind the combat Realians. "Wha--?!" The two blurs--two young women--stood straight up slowly. The Realians turned around to face the girls who grinned madly at them.

"Those girls..."

"So, ready for a little exercise?" the black-haired girl asked.

"But of course!" the red-haired girl exclaimed.

The two held out their hands: a sword appearing in the black-haired girl's hand and daggers appearing in the red-haired girl's hands. chaos gasped lightly. "No way..._Shane?!_" The group gasped when the two girls turned their heads at the group hidden in the trees. Jr. twitched when he saw the red-haired girl, a slight squeak coming from his throat. "...Rukia?"

"Hey, bro! Listen, we'll take care of these guys for ya, okay?!" the girl said then attacked the Realian in front of her, knocking the rifle from his hands. Shane blocked bullets from the second Realian, a frown on her face. "Geez...attacking a poor soldier like this.." She unsheathed the sword only to slash the man across his chest several times. A surprised look came over his face as the Realian fell to his knees, bleeding profusely from the cuts. He fell to the ground with a thud. The red-haired girl stabbed the other Realian in the stomach and neck then jumped away, slicing the man open. The Federation soldier watched this event, a look of complete shock on his face.

_These girls.._

"Who the hell...are you?" he asked lowly.

He flinched when Shane looked over at him as she wiped a bit of blood from her cheek. "Hey, you guys can stop hiding now." The group came out from the trees; surprised looks on their faces. Jr. glanced to Rukia then at the black-haired girl. "...How the fuck this happen?" They both shrugged. "I'll explain it one he treat this guy's wounds. Shion." The brunette jumped lightly at the sound of the young woman's voice and nodded. She began to walk over to the man only to have him point the gun at her.

"Drop your weapons," he told them regardless of their hands being empty. "I'll shoot you if you don't follow—" He winced, groaning softly as blood seeped from the wound on his side "Nghaa..." Shion looked to the man's pained face, his face looking eeriely familiar. She covered her mouth and gasped. "Huh?! It can't be...Lieutenant Virgil?!"

Jr. blinked slightly, blue eyes widening. "Virgil? The Testament?!" Shane got into the blonde man's face as she narrowed her eyes. "...Yeah, it's him. He looks a little different, but there's no doubt in my mind." The brunette held her chin. "But how?" Virgil blinked at the two girls, confused. "How do you know my—" He grunted in pain softly. "He's hurt." Shion began to move towards him again only to have the gun pointed at her again. "Don't touch me!"

"Don't move and let me treat your wound!" she told him. He groaned in pain loudly. "Nha..." He suddenly collapsed on the ground and dropped his gun as Jin moved over to him to check his wounds. Shane knocked the gun from Virgil's reach, placing her hands on her hips. "What should we do?" Ziggy asked. "We help him! What else?"

"But...he's a Testament, right?" Jr. asked. Rukia folded her arms and shook her head. "Nah...if he was, he would've had the scent of death all over him. Ain't that right, Shannie?" The red-head looked to the black-haired girl who seemed like she was lost in thought. The red-head raised an eyebrow as Shion shook her head. "Don't ask me. I don't know." chaos looked to the blood that nearly poured from the man's wounds with a grimace.

"His wounds are serious. If we don't do something soon—"

"We can't leave him here," Ziggy said. The black-haired man nodded. "Yes. At any rate, let's find a safe location." He looked to MOMO. "MOMO, please lend me a hand. I'm going to stop the bleeding." She nodded at him, walking over. "Okay!" Shane watched as Jin and MOMO tended to Virgil's wounds. She folded her arms then looked over to chaos who had a concerned look on his soft features. The black-haired girl let her trademark grin on her face. "Hey, sweetie," she said making him smile in response.

He walked over to her then took her gloved hand into his. "You made me worry there for a second." Shane rubbed the back of her head with her free hand. "Heh, sorry. Didn't mean to make you scared." The white-haired boy nodded as he looked to Rukia who was clinging to a growling Jr. "Um, how did that happen?" The black-haired girl looked over then chuckled nervously. "See, that's the thing: I don't know myself. When I came to, Rukia was laying right beside me."

"Think it's a new power of yours?" he asked only to have her shrug and grin. "Maybe...but I like this one."

"That should do it," Jin said as he wiped away Virgil's blood from his hands with a sanitized wipe; MOMO doing the same. "Let's hurry and get him somewhere he can rest." Shion nodded and looked at Ziggy picking up the unconscious soldier gently. The group moved on into the forest. Jr. glanced at Shane then at Rukia with a strange look. _What the hell is going on here?_ he thought. He shook his head, holding his face. _God, I have such a headache..._

"Eh? Somethin' wrong, big bro?" The red-haired boy nearly jumped at the sound of Rukia's sleepy tone of voice. He didn't even sense her presence when she moved back to walk in step with him. "Oh...it's only you."

"The hell you mean 'only me'? I have you know that I'm the best sister compared to that high 'n mighty, preppy, submissive little--"

"Is someone there?!" Ziggy asked aloud. The group looked over to see a woman wearing a mulitcolor dress as she walked over to a flower patch near some trees; her hands in front of her dress. She knelt down, running her fingers lightly over the soft petals while a small smile came onto her soft features. Shion noticed the woman's short silver hair along with the grey and yellow accented dress she wore then gasped lightly.

"...That's..Feb?" she asked aloud. The woman now known as Feb--or rather Febronia to the brunette--gently plucked a flower from the patch and left the clearing, much to the brunette's dismay. "Hey, wait!" MOMO turned her head to see the blonde soldier's wound beginning to bleed again as she gasped which made Jin look down; his face turning into a grimace. "Shion! Virgil's getting worse!"

"His condition is critical!" the black-haired man cried out. "We have to find somewhere to treat him quickly!"

"But where?"

Shion bit her lip, thinking until Shane cleared her throat loud enough for everyone to hear. "Shouldn't there be a church nearby?" Jr. looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "A church?" The brunette looked to Shane then nodded. "Yes. When I woke up in this forest, I felt strange...but if this is Miltia, and that's Feb, then this is a place I know well. If we follow her, we should arrive at an old church."

Jin nodded his head. "Then, there's no time to hesitate. Let's carry him there."

**Chapter 16: End**

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_Nothing much to say. R&R, please._


	19. Thrown Back Into Time, Part 2

**Chapter Seventeen: Thrown Back Into Time, Part 2 - A Fateful Meeting -**

The group made their way through the forest and then towards the church while Shion led the group. Once they arrived, MOMO looked around as it began to look familiar. "This is..." Ziggy looked around, noticing how the area looked. "We saw this place in KOS-MOS's subconscious." The brunette nodded and stepped forward. "Yes. I met Febronia here," she said facing the cyborg. "The place holds a lot of memories for me and Feb. He can rest inside here. Let's go." The group nodded as Shion stepped towards the doors and pushed the double doors open slowly.

"Is anyone here?" Shane called out. "We have an injured person. He's bleeding really bad!"

No reply.

"May we let him rest here?" Shion asked aloud. "No." The brunette looked back at the group, pouting at the black-haired girl who looked not-so-innocent. _Geez... _Shion looked back to see a young girl about 7 or 8 years old walk out of a door on the far north wall. She had shoulder length brown hair wearing a white dress.

"Who are you?" she asked timidly. Shane and Rukia immediately squealed at the sight of the adorable little girl while the brunette had a shocked look on her face. That little girl eeriely resembled Shion at that age. "Nhah!" The little girl ran to the door near the other rooms, opening it. "Feb! Feb! We've got guests."

_That's...me?_

The little girl moved back as Febronia and a young man with blue hair walked out. The young man rubbed the back of his head, looking around with an annoyed look on his face. "What's all the noise?" He looked over to the group then raised a curious eyebrow. "Who are you people?"

Shion let her mouth drop at the sight of the young man. _Wha--?!_ Shane narrowed her eyes somewhat while feeling a slight twitch in her right hand. _Oh, this keeps gettin' better and better... _The young man folded his arms. "Well? What's going on?" The black-haired girl snapped her fingers in front of Shion's face as she blinked, breaking from her trance. "Oh! Um...we found someone hurt nearby," she told him. "His wounds are serious and we can't move him, so we came here."

"Someone hurt?" Febronia asked in a sweet yet concerned voice. She walked over to Ziggy who held Virgil's unconscious body as she gasped in shock at the man's wounds. "Oh, no! Hurry, this way!" The young man narrowed his eyes at the silver-haired woman then held up his arm when she began to lead the cyborg to the door. "Febronia, wait. This man is a Federation soldier. Do you realize what you're doing?"

"He may be an enemy soldier, but he's still hurt!"

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said shaking his head. "You're a U-TIC Organization Realian, remember? It's bad enough that you're here at all." A surprised look came over Jr. and Shane's face. _U-TIC?!_ Shion stepped forward towards Febronia with a worried look. "Please! He's going to die!" The silver-haired woman nodded her head slowly. "I know. Take him to the back room." Ziggy nodded as Febronia looked to the young man while the little girl walked up to the woman to hold her hand. He shook his head again, folding his arms.

"...Maybe I should have Professor Mizrahi be a little more strict in the management of Realians. You're a valuable transgenic model. We can't lose you before your growth is complete." She frowned at him. "I'm sorry, but I can't let him die." The dark-haired young man growled lightly before raising his voice, "Febronia!" He was then smacked across the head by Shane who growled darkly.

"Shut the hell up! You're too fucking annoying!"

The group looked on in shock as Shion held her head in her hand and shook her head slowly. The young man held the back of his head, groaning softly. "What was that for?!" he yelled. "...If you want to call the soldiers go ahead." He glanced back at the silver-haired woman who had a determined look on her face, the little girl holding onto her dress. He groaned. "Ahh, fine. I wouldn't want to cause a problem with your mental balance over something like this. I'll pretend I don't know about it." He looked at the group, moving away from Shane in the process and cleared his throat. "Her maintenance medical kit is outside. It's for Realians, but it should be better than nothing."

The brunette woman let out a breath of relief. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it. It's not like he's going to live, anyway." He turned, glancing at the black-haired girl with a frown and walked away much to the dismay of Shion. "Ah-!"

"God, someone hasn't had their daily lay, have they?" Rukia muttered.

--------

Later, in the back room of the church, a bed was set up where the unconcious Virgil lay as Jin and MOMO began their operation while the others watched. The black-haired man had a grim look on his face. "He's suffered heavy damage to his vital organs," he said not noticing the saddened look on the silver-haired woman's face. "Nanomachine treatment won't be enough." The pink-haired girl looked over a monitor by the bed then shook her head. "The stem cell germination can't keep up. We have to transplant the basic tissue he needs."

"Damn. There's nothing we can do..."

Febronia walked over to Jin then said in a serene voice, "Please, transplant my organs. That should compensate for what's missing." The man looked to her with a confused look. "Transplant? No offense, but you're a Realian. There's never been a case of transplanting organs from a Realian to a human."

"I'm a transgenic type. I was designed by Professor Mizrahi as a template for next-generation Realians. My body composition is virtually identical to human beings," Febronia told him. "The cells should have an affinity for each other. So, please."

"Even if that's true, what about you? If we remove your organs, then you'll need transplants as well."

She shook her head. "If we temporarily suspend my internal circulation, I can last for several hours. If I return to Labyrinthos during that time, I can regenerate there. I'll be fine. Please, help him." The white-haired woman looked to Jin as he had a look of uncertainty on his face. "Uh..."

"He's going to die. There's no other way."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. Febronia nodded at him. "Yes. Please."

--------

During Febronia's operation, the brown-haired little girl sat on a pew in the middle of Shane and Rukia as she kicked her feet. She looked to the black-haired young woman who had dark skin and brownish-hazel eyes then at the red-haired girl who has light brown skin with mismatched eyes. The girl tilted her head. "Excuse me...are you two sisters?" she asked in a cute voice.

_So cute....must..not...glomp..._ Shane nodded at her, moving some hair behind her ear. "Yeah we are. It's just..." She scratched her cheek as she chuckled nervously. 'Back me up, Rukia..' The red-haired girl nodded. "We are sisters, little one. Shane was cloned and I was the outcome of it." Shane blinked a few times only to have her face turn to a look of pure shock. She pointed at the other girl wordlessly as the little girl looked at them, tilting her head. "So then...you are related?"

"In a sense, yeah," the red-haired girl nodded with a smile.

**~ Chapter 17: End ~**

**

* * *

****Sorry for the EXTREMELY long wait. School has not been very nice to me (is taking Fine Arts Survey and Financial Math classes this last semester) nor has RL at all. Probably lost my regular readers because of my damned laziness, but that's okay. I'll still complete this story. You'll be surprised by the ending though....R&R and on to the next chapter!**

**PS: This is 1 out of 3 chapters that I'll update with.**


	20. Thrown Back Into Time, Part 3

**Chapter Eighteen: Thrown Back Into Time, Part 3 - Her Eternal Sleep -**

A/N: The Present Shion will be known as 'the brunette woman' or 'Older Shion' and the Past Shion will be known as 'the brown-haired girl' or 'Younger Shion'. Oh, and the past Virgil will be known as 'Past Virgil.' Thankies. :D

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After the operation, Shion walked into the spare room where Febronia lay in the treatmant machine; a sheet over her body (save her head resting on the pillow). She looked to the brunette who stood by the bed. "Is he… Did the transplant go well?" she asked in a tired voice. Shion nodded at her. "Yes. With that quack as the surgeon, I wasn't too sure, but somehow, he managed it. He's sleeping in the back now. Don't worry. The others are with him."

"I see. Good." The brunette rubbed her arm, looking to the side. "You should rest here for a while," she told her. "Replication may be finished, but your body cycle still hasn't returned." The silver-haired woman nodded and smiled slightly. "Yes. I'll do that."

"Um, thanks. For saving him, I mean."

Shion and Febronia turned their heads to the door as it opened to show the little girl from before walk in. She looked to the white-haired woman with concern on her face. "Feb, are you okay?" she asked. The woman smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm okay, Shion," she said reassuring her. "Everything's fine." A blank look came onto the brunette's face. "...Your name's Shion?"

The little girl nodded. "Yeah. Did you and your friends come in that green ship?" The older Shion tilted her head. "Green ship?" She glanced at chaos as he walked into the room, looking at them.

"Yeah. A pretty ship I've never seen before came down by the east cave. You were on it, right?" she asked. The brunette looked up at the white-haired boy. "Could that be the Elsa?" He nodded at the older Shion. "Yes. It makes sense for the Elsa to have been sent to the same place with us. We should check it out." chaos looked back, moving out of the way of the blue-haired young man who practically stormed inside the room; a worried look on his face.

"I can't believe you went and did this," he told Febronia. "They're going to question my supervision."

"I did it on my own. I won't bring any trouble upon you."

He held the bridge of his nose with his index, forefinger, and thumb. "I certainly hope not. It's about time for the Organization to show up. Could I ask you all to leave? It's only going to complicate matters if you are here." Shion looked to the blonde man sleeping by the wall on a bed recovering and pointed at him. "What about him?"

"Sorry, but he has to stay right here," the young man ordered. "There is going to be serious trouble is someone finds out I helped an enemy soldier. Once we're gone, you can do as you please." The brunette nodded. "All right." She turned to Young Shion, smiling. "Shion, thanks for telling me about the ship."

"Sure. Goodbye."

* * *

The group moved out outside of the church as Shane and Rukia stretched, looking at the blue sky. "Everything is right with the world. The sun is shining, the birds are singing...it's like a brand new world!" the red-head exclaimed before letting out a squeal that started Jr. along with the others.

"Um, yeah...you are a very terrible liar, aren't you?" the dark-haired girl asked.

"I know. I was tryin' to lighten up the serious mood here."

Shion sighed at them. "She said that the green ship landed in the cave mine to the east. We should avoid being seen until we know what's going on. Let's go through the Dabrye Mine to the south." The group nodded then proceeded to the mines in the south.

* * *

After a few miles of walking (and whining from Rukia), the group made it to the Dabrye Mine. Shane looked around at the seemingly empty area that had some mining equipment off to the side. She scratched the side of her head until she looked over at the house near the opening of the mine. She saw a balding old man sitting down under the shade of his porch.

"Hey, Shion," the black-haired girl called out. Shion looked at Shane who then pointed at the old man. "...? Is someone there?" Rukia held her face as everyone else sighed. How dense can you be? The group followed after Shion while the wrinkled face of the man looked up at them. "Hmm? Newcomers, eh? Don't you people get tired of harassing me?"

Shane walked over then bowed, the old man having a surprised look on his face from the showing of respect. "Sir, are you in charge of this place?" she asked. He raised an white eyebrow. "Mheh? You aren't with U-TIC?" Jr. scoffed, folding his arms. "U-TIC? Don't be insulting!"

"Sounds like something's going on here," chaos said placing a hand to his chin. The old man frowned and shook his head, waving them off. "If you're not with U-TIC, then it's none of your business. Leave now!" Jin stepped up then bowed slightly in the same manner as Shane had done. "I'm sorry, but we have our own business. We must go past here."

"Past here, hmm? Ah, have you come to investigate that ship?"

chaos nodded at the man. "Our friends on board." The old man litle out a small sigh. "Hmm. That's not going to be easy. My granddaughter Mai is investigating it now, but I imagine U-TIC soldiers are already crawling around inside."

"U-TIC soldiers?" The old man nodded at them then stood up, placing an arm behind his back. "Yes. I'll never forgive U-TIC! They took everything! All the valuable resources from the mine, the livelihood of the people who depended on it, and...even the life of my son, Tethlla." Shane's eyes softened until a loud crashing noise made the group jump. Jr. ran over to see rocks covering the mine entrance, smoke rising to the sky.

"A-a cave-in?!" he exclaimed.

"No," MOMO said. "This explosion was caused by weapons!" The old man sighed, making Shane and chaos look at him. "That's Leupold. I told that girl time and again to avoid combat...."

"Leupold?" chaos asked. "Leupold is the Auto-Tech Tethlla used. Mai believes her father's soul lives on in that machine. Together with Leupold, she protects this land." Ziggy shook his head and folded his arms. "One Auto-Tech is hardly enough to take on U-TIC." The pink-haired Realian looked to Shion with a concerned look. "Shion!"

The brunette nodded then looked to the old man. "Sir, I'm afraid we have to go into those caves. Is that all right?"

"Should be fine," he answered as a worried look came onto his face. "If you run into Mai, tell her to stop fighting and come back." Shane nodded, saluting the man who blinked a few times. "Will do. By the way, we never asked your name." The old man looked at the young woman. "My name? It's Aizen Magus."

* * *

"That old man seemed nice," Rukia said as the group made their way through the mine as they fought some U-TIC soldiers and monsters on the way. "Yeah, but he's more concerned for that Mai girl...who sounds like trouble."

"Either way, we have to get to the Elsa. Lord knows we're all in need of a shower.." Shane touched her full-body spacesuit with a frown. Eventually, the group made their way to a large canyon as a wire led towards the other side. The Wild Roller Coaster. The black-haired girl squealed, dancing around while the others looked at her.

"Why's she dancing?" MOMO asked.

Rukia shrugged. "Who knows. Girls like her...are very strange." Shane stopped her small dance then turned to the group. "Who's first?" she asked. Afterwards, the group--going by twos--got onto the grappling hook then rode to the other side. The last two were Shane and chaos. The black-haired girl suddenly realized that she was afraid of heights because of a minor--to her a large--mishap involving a ladder and her.

"Fuck...some heroine I am," she muttered kneeling down on the ground while hugging her knees. The white-haired boy smiled at her then held out a hand to her. "Come on. Everyone's waiting." She nodded at him, taking his hand and standing up. He grabbed the handle as Shane wrapped her arms around his neck. She gasped softly. "Oh no..."

"What's wrong?"

"...What if I'm too heavy for you?" she asked meekly. "I mean--I have more muscle than you...somewhere."

He shook his head then wrapped a tight arm around her waist, emitting a squeak from the young woman. "It's okay," he said. "You're not heavy to me." Just as Shane was about to say something, chaos suddenly jumped off the ledge and went flying down towards the other side. The dark-haired girl screamed loudly; clinging to the boy tightly. She watched the scenery pass by her quickly only to hear the sound of an engine passing overhead. Shane looked up to see a blackish-blue mecha with scorch marks and bullet marks on the metal pass by above them.

_That's..._

On the other side of the large canyon, the group watched the blue mecha pass overhead as a surprised look came over Shion's face. "What was that!?" she exclaimed. "Hm, I'd imagine that was Leupold. It looked like it took some damage. We should hurry." Jin turned his head to chaos and Shane who landed perfectly on the ground.

"About time you two got here," Jr. said crossing his arms. The black-haired girl seethed at him when she let go of the other boy. "Just follow after that thing!" The group nodded as they ran towards the other area; Shion leading the way, of course.

* * *

Once they were in the next area, the group saw a large cave--possibly where the Elsa was after their coming to the "past". In front of the opening stood a brown-haired girl with blue goggles on her head holding a sledgehammer in her hands. She had a displeased look on her face as she held up her free hand; letting the hammer end of the tool fall to the ground with a thud. "Stop right there!" she yelled making the group stop a few feet away from her.

"Are you Mai?" Shion asked. "Your grandfather's worried about you. Why don't you stop fighting and go back to him?" Mai approached the group cautiously as she raised her eyebrow. "...Grandfather is worried about me? You're lying! You won't fool me, U-TIC!"

"The hell...? What is up with you and your grandpa callin' us 'U-TIC'?!" Shane exclaimed holding her head. Jr. frowned at the girl. "Hey! We're not lying! He really said that!"

The brown-haired girl looked to the red-haired boy before narrowing her eyes. "I can't believe you'd use a child to try to convince me! You're despicable!" She suddenly gasped as her eyes began to water."Huh! Don't tell me you already got Grandfather!"

"Please listen!" MOMO cried out while Ziggy nodded.

Jr. felt his left eye twitch before shaking his head. "Listen to us!"

"Relax," chaos said stepping up. "We just need to get to the ship that's up ahead. We met your grandfather on the way—" Mai looked back at the cave entrance then looked back at them with a frown. "The ship ahead? So, you're U-TIC soldiers, just like I thought. You're planning on using that ship to destroy this mine!"

"We're not going to do anything! Look, we're not related to U-TIC."

"Kid, stay quiet!" the girl yelled as the red-haired boy twitched visibly. "_**I'm not a kid!**_ Dammit, this is a waste of time. Just get out of our way!" He walked towards the cave entrance with a frown on his young features only to have the brunette girl get in his away. "You've gone far enough! You're not taking another step! I won't let you. You're not getting away with this any longer!"

Shane growled lightly, flexing her fingers. "Dude, if she doesn't let us through..." Shion looked to the black-haired girl as she moved towards Mai, holding out her arms. "It's alright," she said. "Please, Mai, listen to us!"

"I don't need to listen to _you!_ I won't let you take anything else from me! I won't ever forgive you." Mai shook her head then raised her sledgehammer. "**LEUPOLD!**" Everyone watched the black auto-tech from before came out from behind the mountain and landed beside the girl. "Time to feel…my father's wrath!"

* * *

After their battle, Mai fell to the ground on her knees, dropping her weapon as her precious Leupold shut down. "I'm so sorry," she said breathing heavily. "I'm so sorry, Leupold..." She looked up at the group who were just as tired with a furious look. "You're even going to take Leupold from me, aren't you? I know what comes next...I'm ready for it. Go ahead and kill me! Just like you killed my father and the people from the mine!"

Jr. growled in frustration, holding the bridge of his nose. "Get a grip! If we wanted to kill you, we'd have done it a long time ago."

"Don't worry. Our attacks on Leupold were just enough to temporarily interfere with its drive system," chaos reassured the girl. "It should be back to normal soon." She shook her head frantically. "I don't need your pity!"

"Will you just shut the fuck up already?! We're not pitying you nor are we throwing you a fuckin' pity party!" Shane screamed which started the group and Mai. Shion looked to the black-haired girl's face, nearly flinching when she let out a low hissing sound. "...Ah, Shane?" The girl walked over to Mai then kneeled down in front of her.

"Lookie here, Mai or whatever the hell your name is. Our friends are on that ship behind you. And if you keep getting in our way, I will kick--no, whup your ass like your dad used to!" The girl was about to argue back until the older girl held her hand up. "That ship is as important to us as this place is to you. You of all people should understand how we feel."

Mai looked down, biting her lip. "Hunh…"

"Mai! Mai!" She looked up to see Aizen running out of the cave behind the group as she stood up suddenly, knocking over Shane (who was still kneeling down). "Grandfather?!" She whimpered then kneeled down, holding her leg. "Oh, you're hurt! You foolish tomboy!"

"...I'm sorry. They talked about you, so I thought these U-TIC soldiers had gotten you, too."

"These people have nothing to do with U-TIC!" the old man nearly yelled in frustration. Everyone had the look of 'OMFG THX PLZ' written on their faces. "Ohh, I swear, your rashness is going to be the death of me. Can't you be a little more ladylike?" Mai stood back up and frowned at him. "The mine workers all ran away in fear of U-TIC! If I don't protect this place, who will? And besides Daddy was—"

"This place....it connects you to your father, doesn't it?" Shion asked as the girl turned to her. She smiled gently. "Don't worry. We won't tread on your memories." The light haired girl's face softened then turned her back to her. "...Your ship should be up ahead."

"...Mai."

"If you're done here, then go," she said. "I don't need any more trouble." Shion bowed to the girl who was scratching her cheek. "Thank you." Mai simply huffed in response. Shane jumped up; dusting herself off as she groaned.

Jr. rubbed the back of his head. "Geez, she's just as stubborn and aggressive as a certain someone else we know, right Shion?"

_'Or undergoing the middle stages of PMS...' _Rukia thought with a snicker.

She blinked a few times, looking to everyone who looked at her with understandable looks. "...Why are you looking at me?"

* * *

Afterwards, the group moved on inside to the Limestone Cave. Shane looked up to see the Elsa--with no visable scratches--docked in a snug space. She squealed and ran towards the entrance/exit of the ship as the door hissed open and they walked inside. On the bridge, the crew spoke to each other while the group arrived at the scene.

"Captain! You're all okay!" Shion exclaimed. "Shion!" The crew walked over as they began to converse with their missing allies about random things like: where were they? are they okay? and so on. Captain Matthews walked over to Jr., folding his arms. "Hey, glad to see you're alive, too."

"I knew it'd take more than that to do you guys in," Jr. said with a smirk. The captain chuckled at the boy's words as he saw Shane practically glomping Hammer and Tony while they made squealing noises. "Heh, we're not gonna go that easy. And I see Shane's alright...but who's that red-head?" The boy turned and looked to see Rukia leaning against the wall.

"Oh...that's my sister," he said in an honest tone.

"Really now? I didn't know you had a sister...other than Shane, that is."

He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah..."

Allen ran over to Shion with a relieved look on his face. "Chief! Thank God!" he said holding his chest. "I thought I'd never see you again!" The brunette woman turned to the man with a smile. "Allen! Hey, where's KOS-MOS? Does anyone know where she is?" She watched her assistant's face turn from relieved to saddened as he looked down. "Chief, a-about KOS-MOS..."

"What's wrong?" she asked. The balding Professor cleared his throat, making everyone turn to the scene unfolding. "We recovered the E.S. craft and KOS-MOS, but there was nothing we could do..."

"...What? What do you mean?"

"It's best you see for yourself," the old man said turning to Allen. "Assistant #2, show her the way." He nodded as he looked to Shion. "Chief, this way." Everyone watched them walk out of the bridge; worried looks on their faces.

"Ziggy, what's wrong with KOS-MOS?" MOMO asked looking up at the blond man.

"...I'm not sure."

* * *

Later, inside of the maintenance room created for KOS-MOS as Shion and Allen walked inside. She looked around to hear the soft beeping of the computers only to have her eyes land on the android's "bed", gasping. "KOS-MOS!" She ran over to the silver/black capsule and placed her hands against the cold metal. "Huh?! No, it can't be." The brunette took out her portable computer so that she could look at KOS-MOS's status. She tensed up, letting out a small gasp. Her portable computer dropped to the floor; clattering softly.

"...Her core was damaged during the fight with T-elos," Allen said sadly hearing the woman gasp in response. Shion fell to her knees next to the maintenance bed as she leaned against it with her arms. "We can repair damage to her frame or her control program, but there's nothing we can do about the black box once it's broken."

"....That's not true. We can fix her," she told him in a panicked voice. "You're here! And so's the Professor!"

He shook his head. "Chief! You know the only one who could repair the core is Kevin, the original designer. KOS-MOS....will never move again." Shion looked to the capsule; her eyes beginning to water. "...KOS-MOS? No, open your eyes, KOS-MOS..." She lowered her head as her tears fell to the floor, her shoulders shaking violently.

She threw her head back and screamed, "_**KOS-MOS!!!!**_"

_*~Chapter 18: End~*_

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**Finally! I got around to finishing this chapter....a seriously long one, too. ...Well, not that long. **

**But anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Will KOS-MOS ever awaken again? Will Shane and Rukia become one again?**

**Sorry for the wait, everyone. :D R&R, plz!**

**Teaser for Chapter 19:**

_The blond woman gasped. "No way!" She looked off to the side and folded her arms. "Oh, where've you gone, Little Master? The Little Missus went with them into it as well. And Master Gaignun is away, too..."_


	21. Thrown Back Into Time, Part 4,1

**Chapter Nineteen: Thrown Back Into Time, Part 4 - Discord 1-**

Back into normal space, the Durandal was still in its position near the hypersphere waiting for a call or signal as was the Federation fleet who awaited their songtress's return. On the bridge of the Durandal, Mary paced the floor--if she continued any further, there would've been a rut--biting her thumbnail. She looked down to a 100-Series who was typing at her station. "How about on your side? Found anything?" she asked.

The blue-haired girl shook her head. "Nothing yet. There are no signs of the Elsa or any E.S.s in the U.M.N. region."

"There ain't even a log?"

"None."

Shelley turned to the 100 Series as she shook her head. "How is that possible? If they were transferred in some sort of accident, a log should exist." The blue-haired girl looked up at the lavender-haired woman, still typing at her station. "They may have been reduced to Planck-scale along with the hypersphere."

The blond woman gasped. "No way!" She looked off to the side and folded her arms. "Oh, where've you gone, Little Master? The Little Missus went with them into it as well. And Master Gaignun is away, too..."

"Not to mention the fact that the _Marquis de Sol_ is wondering where their songtress is and calling us every minute--" A receiving signal could be heard which had stopped Shelley. She and her sister looked to the large screen. "Little Master?!" The purple-haired woman pressed a button on the main console as a familiar face appeared on the screen.

The blond gasped lightly while the older sister simply said, "Committee Member Juli Mizrahi." The brown-haired woman nodded slightly. "I assume from the tone of your voice that something's gone wrong."

"The Little Master and the others vanished along with the research target. We're searching for them now."

"What? You _still_ don't know where they are?" Juli asked in shock as Shelley shook her head with a sigh. "Unfortunately, no." The dark-haired woman sat back in her seat, a spiraling fear for her daughter and bodyguard sitting in the pit of her stomach. "...I see."

"Committee Member Mizrahi, I presume you did not contact us to check on the situation..."

"Yes, there's been a new development in the Federation government," she said composing herself. "I wanted to inform you at once." Shelley raised an eyebrow to Juli's words. "You sound serious. What is this new development?" The Godwin Sisters watched the dark-haired woman take a silent breath.

"The Federation government is moving forward with plans for a full-scale invasion."

Mary suddenly gasped and yelled, "What!?! Where!?!" The woman showed the two a smaller image on the bottom left of her which became bigger to show a planet. "The birthplace of the Ormus Organization....Planet Michtam. The Federation fleet has already set course and is employing the newly-completed Merkabah."

"Merkabah?! So Dmitri Yuriev is behind this?"

Juli nodded, moving a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes. If something isn't done," she said in a cryptic voice, "the chaotic wars of the past may descend upon us again. Or...perhaps something even worse." The blond woman bit her lip in a worried manner. "Are they planning to wipe out Ormus?!"

"What should we do?" Shelley asked. "We'll wait and see. Depending on the situation—"

"The Federation military may become our enemy? ...Even Shane?" Mary looked to her purple-haired sister with a shocked glance. The dark-haired woman on the connection screen shook her head. "I'm sure Shane doesn't know even if she's high-ranking in the military. But Dmitri must have a reason for heading to Michtam. That man wouldn't move the entire fleet just to suppress them."

"So, there's something there, huh?" the blond woman asked. "That was a record of an object in the remaining fragments of the Y-Data inside MOMO. That object was taken by a faction of the Immigrant Fleet when they left Lost Jerusalem."

"An object?"

"The Eternal Circle – Zarathustra," Juli said much to the confusion of the sisters. "Zarathustra?" She nodded again. "We're still investigating exactly what it is. But Dmitri has the Y-Data as well, and his is in a more complete from than ours. I have a feeling his actions may be related to that object."

"...Oh." The dark-haired woman looked at them with concern written on her face. "You have the E.S.s and the emulators. So you may be able to stop Dmitri. You should receive full support from Representative Helmer, in such a case." A surprised look came over Mary's face as she nearly fell back onto the floor. "_Helmer!?!_ Things are that bad?"

"But we can't do anything if the Elsa is missing," Juli said. The blond woman smacked her fist into her open palm; a wide grin on her face. "Leave it to us! We'll find them no matter what! And then, if that old man is doing something stupid, we'll go out there and slap him upside the head!"

Shelley nodded. "Yes. I'm sure Little Master and the Young Miss would like to be a part of that, too."

"I'm sorry for always asking the impossible from you. I'll head there myself as soon as I can."

--------

Back in some unknown space in time, Shion Uzuki slept in the main cabin of the Elsa. She was still distraught after finding out that KOS-MOS wouldn't wake up. Ever again. So after taking a sedative, she had fallen asleep quite peacefully.

Or so she thought.

The brunette opened her blue-green eyes to see that she was inside of the church from the forest. The back room, to be exact. _…? Where am I? _"This is hopeless. Without a transplant of the actual base tissue, we can't save him," a male voice said.

"Please, transplant my organs. That should compensate for what's missing."

Shion's eyes focused where she was as she saw a familiar white-haired woman speaking to a man. _Is that Feb? Oh, that's right, it's Lieutenant Virgil's surgery.._

"No. Think what that would do to you. We can't lose a valuable Realian to save the life of one soldier." Febronia frowned gently at the young man in front of her. "Our cells should have affinity for each other," she said. "I'll be fine. Please, help him."

_...Wait, that's not Jin._

The blue-haired young man scoffed then turned from her, scratching his cheek. "You sound like your mind is made up," he said in an annoyed voice. "Fine. We'll try it."

_That's—_

The brunette closed her eyes only to suddenly wake up to find herself in the dimly lit cabin of the Elsa. She held her head closing her eyes. "...Was I dreaming? ...Yes, I remember, that boy saved him," she said standing up. "Jin and the others weren't there then."

_But...why weren't they?_

--------

Later, Shion proceeded to the gunroom on the Basement Level 1 Floor. The gunroom was a large room that had a holographic screen installed into the floor and another screen installed on the back wall. The Professor, Ziggy, Allen, and the others (save for the Captain and his "happy" crew members) were already inside. She was walking inside the room when Jr. suddenly exclaimed, "_**The Vessels of Anima are gone?!**_"

The brunette flinched at the yell before looking to Allen. "...What's wrong?" He rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, there's a little bit of a problem..."

"You'd **better** explain what's going on!"

The old man's eyebrow twitched, pushing up his glasses. "Like I said, the Vessels of Anima are missing. There's nothing wrong with the crafts themselves, but the power cores have just disappeared. The Striker's power core hasn't disappeared because of it relying on another power source, so that's the only working E.S."

"How can that happen?!" the red-head asked in frustration. Jin placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, looking at the Professor. "What caused it?"

He simply shrugged. "I have no idea." This made everyone nearly fall out in exasperation. "Perhaps it's a negative side-effect caused by our time travel," Allen pointed out. The old man waved his hand in his face before sighing.

"Yes, yes. Speaking of side-effects, things may get even worse."

Jr. blinked at him confused. "What? Even more stuff is gonna go wrong?" The Professor began to pace around everyone and the room, his hand on his chin. "Well, we're not really supposed to be here in this world," he said. "That contradiction is slowly but surely building up latent heat energy. If we let it keep going, it'll almost certainly end in destruction."

"...Destruction of what?"

The old man stopped his pacing with his back to them as a hologram of outer space appearing from the floor. "This universe."

"_Whaaat?_" the red-head said in a shocked voice. "Well, that might be an exaggeration, but it'll at least blow away this region of space. That's how dangerous this latent heat energy thing is."

"What'll we do? That doesn't sound good," Shion said.

"Is there anything we can do?" Ziggy asked.

"Well, there is something," the Professor said. "We may be able to return to our original time if we contain this latent heat energy with a field and interface with the space-time continum."

A loud yawn echoed from the doorway. "So in other words, we need to generate a field or somethin' to get us out of here." Shion turned her head to see Shane dressed in a black bodysuit that was zipped up in the front, brown knee-high boots, and black biker gloves. She was scratching her head which was tied up in a ponytail. _I see she's awake as well..._

"No problem, then," Jr. said with a nod. "Let's get started."

"Let me finish! All I'm saying is that it's _theoretically_ possible. We don't have anything capable of generating a field powerful enough to contain it. There's nothing we can do."

--------

In the maintenance room afterwards, Allen walked inside rubbing the back of his neck as he looked up to see Shion standing near KOS-MOS's maintenance bed with a saddened look on her face. It looked like she had be crying. "KOS-MOS… Will you ever wake up again?" she asked the silver capsule. "Will you ever say "good morning" to me again?"

_Oh, Chief..._ The brown-haired man walked over to the woman as he looked at her with concern. "Chief, you're here again?" he asked. "Wh-when we get back to our original time, I'm sure we can find a way to fix KOS-MOS. So—"

"....Allen."

"Yes?" Shion looked up at him, wiping away a stray tear from her left eye. "Do you really think this is that Miltia?" He looked at her face before looking up at the ceiling. "It's difficult to believe, but the data MOMO's gathered all points to this as the Miltia fifteen years ago."

The brunette shook her head slowly. "I don't...understand. This is definitely Miltia from back then. I've met Feb, Lieutenant Virgil, and even my younger self. But I can't just accept it so easily," she said folding her arms. "If this is really Miltia back then, a terrible fate is going to befall this planet in just a few days. Can you believe that?"

Allen shrugged his shoulders before scratching his cheek and looking at her again. "Well, Jin was saying…if this is really the world of the past, then our actions now could have a dramatic effect on the future. It's certainly true that we don't know what might happen to us if we interfere with the past."

"But, if that's true, doesn't that mean we might be able to change the past? Don't you wish you could change the past, Allen?" Shion looked to the brown-haired man as he looked down at the floor. "Well, yeah, I have all sorts of things in the past I'd like to change," he said truthfully. "I think most people do. Everyone regrets something. I bet everyone wishes they could redo things. But it's not a good idea to interfere with this world without understanding the situation."

"That may be the logical way of thinking, but even so—" The brunette narrowed her eyes only to hold her head. "_Dammit_, everything is happening at once. I feel like I'm gonna go crazy. I think I understand how Shane felt when she came here.."

"Chief. You're probably tired. How about getting a little more rest?" he asked Shion. She nodded in response, walking past him to the door. "..You're right. I think I'll head to the city to relax." He looked at her and followed after her. "What? Chief, we shouldn't go outside until we understand our current situation!"

She stopped at the door, gripping her fists tightly until her knuckles turned white. "....I have to do something. I can't just sit around here. Besides, we'll never really figure out our situation unless we go outside." Allen blinked as the woman walked out of the maintenance room. He shook his head and followed after her; continuing to convince her to stay.

~ **Part 1**: End ~

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**A/N**: Sorry this took so long...I decided to separate chapter 19 into two separate parts--since it's so long. Or 3 parts...I'm not sure which. Happy reading. :3


	22. Thrown Back Into Time, Part 4,2

**Chapter Nineteen: Thrown Back Into Time, Part 4 - Discord 2-**

On top of the Elsa, Shane laid her back on the cool metal as she held a light brown overcoat to her stomach. She was beginning to nod off until she heard the door hiss open and Allen's voice. "Chief, hey, wait a minute!" he called out. She sat up only to bump her head on an unseen stalagmite. She hissed in pain, holding her head while cursing quietly.

She heard Shion growl. "I can't bear just standing around!"

"You can't interfere with this world," the man told her in a concerned voice. "You can go tell on me if you want." The black-haired girl sighed gently before pulling on her coat. _Goddamn girl just won't listen..._ She slid off the ship and landed on the ground with a soft thud. "Oi, get your ass back in that ship, young lady." Shion looked at the young woman with a shocked look as Allen was still puzzled from the brunette's reaction.

"...Chief."

The brunette looked at the both of them only to giggle slightly. "It's okay. I'm just going to go visit the city. I'll be back in two or three hours, so tell the others not to worry."

"....According to the information we have, the city is in a battle zone with Federation descent troops," Allen said. "Why do you want to go there?" Shion didn't answer as she walked towards the cave exit. He heard Shane mutter "psycho lady" before following after her. "W-wait a minute. I'll go with you." She stopped walking to look at him.

"That's okay," the brunette answered in a calm yet strange voice. He bit his bottom lip, turning around. "No, it's not. It's dangerous to go alone." He gripped his fists tightly. "KOS-MOS isn't here, so I'm going to protect you!" He turned around...only to find out that Shion already left.

"...You know, it's scary to talk to yourself aloud," Shane said waving at him. Allen blinked a few times before sighing lightly. "...I know. Should we go after her?"

"Might as well. Naivety, stupidity, and having thoughts of suicide don't mix in quite right together."

--------

Outside of the cave, the small group of 3 walked down an empty pathway as they cut through the woods to get to the highway. Shion stepped out of the bushes; dusting off her clothes of leaves while Allen and Shane did the same. The brunette looked around the highway before seeing a wrecked vehicle in the middle of the road; the black-haired girl was speaking with Allen about the strange smell in the air. She narrowed her blue-green eyes a bit as she gasped.

"Chief?" Allen asked. He was suddenly pushed back behind a tree, yelping loudly. "Shh. Hide!" Shane kneeled down next to the man (to his left) who held his head; the brunette kneeling down to his right. The black-haired girl sniffed the air only to cover her nose. "Nghhh...I smell blood..." She took notice of the wrecked vehicle that had dead bodies next to it.

_So that's what that smell was..._

The 3 saw another vehicle arrive at the scene, parking near the other transport. Shion raised her head a bit to get a good look. "Is that a U-TIC transport?" she asked to no one in particular. "Looks like it was in an accident."

"Was it attacked by the Federation?" The brunette shook her head. "Beats me. It's hard to tell from here..." Shane watched men in black armor (accented with purple and red) approach the wrecked vehicle with rifles in their hands. "Well, they look like fuckin' **U-TIC** soldiers, Allen...so they must be." He whined lightly when the girl pulled his ear.

"Wait. Someone's coming out."

A soldier looked into the opened door of the truck only to rear his head back in disgust. "....Damn, this isn't good. Looks like a slaughterhouse in here..." He moved around the transport to see a brown-haired man dressed in white clothing step out out of the other vehicle. His hair was kept in a slicked back style. He had a weathered look on his face, showing his years. "Oh, Supervisor Uzuki, over here." Shion gasped once she saw the man's face.

"...What? Dad!"

Shocked looks came over Shane and Allen's faces. "Huh? Dad? He's—" The brunette nodded slowly before looking at them. "Yes, it's definitely him. Suou Uzuki, my father."

The dark-haired man looked to the solder as the soldier saluted him. "How are the subjects inside?" he asked. The U-TIC soldier shook his head. "No good. They're all destroyed with their maintenance beds. We won't be able to use them." Suou looked inside the vehicle, a grim look coming over his features. "...Federation military isn't taking any chances. Thanks to them, the project is going to be delayed even further."

"What should we do?" the soldier asked. The dark-haired man turned, holding the bridge of his nose. "Just retrieve the vital data, then dispose of the rest. Leave the Realians. We'll have the disposal team incinerate them later. Let's go!"

Shion gasped at how her father spoke of the Realians as the man got into the other vehicle with the soldier, leaving the scene. The 3 stood up from the hiding place then walked over to the crashed transport. The brunette looked down at a dead blond woman with a grimace before taking out and using her connection gear to scan the woman's body. Allen looked inside the transport, a shocked look coming over his face: blood was splattered all over the inside of the transport, people inside capsules crushed beyond recognition, Realians riddled with bullet holes outside the transport, and people who looked like doctors sprawled out on the road with bullet wounds.

"Ugh, this is awful. What was the point of this?" he asked covering his nose and mouth. "Let's see, model number DZ-2000330....looks like they're combat Realians." Shane looked at the scene before her before looking at Shion.

"...What are you doing, woman?"

The brunette showed the girl and Allen her connection gear. "This," she replied.

"Hey, that's an ID."

"Both of you. Lend me your connection gear." He blinked a few times before reaching back to take his gear from its holster, looking at her. "Sure, but why?"

"I'm going to modify this ID and make us our own," Shion said looking at him as a surprised look came over his face. "Wha-what?!" He groaned lightly, activating his connection gear. The brunette looked over the scan. "It looks like she was a U-TIC scientist. A Realian coordinator, actually." She looked at the transport before handing back Allen's connection gear after she edited the code. "There're spare uniforms inside, too." She edited the code in the dark-haired girl's gear and handed back to her. The two watched the brunette enter the bloody vehicle as she found a uniform and changed out of it.

"This is a bad idea," muttered Allen. Shane simply folded her arms, looking at the girl who walked out in a U-TIC scientist uniform. She pushed up the glasses on her face. The brown-haired man looked back at her and gasped loudly. "What?! Chief! _What are you doing?_"

"There's something I want to check. You can go on back."

The black-haired girl sighed. "We can't leave you by yourself, Shion. Where are you planning on going?" she asked. She walked down the small steps, looking at them. "My father's probably headed for Labyrinthos. I suspected he was connected with U-TIC." The brunette narrowed her eyes. "I have to find out what the connection was. If you're coming with me, then hurry up and change."

"Yes, madam," was all Shane could say before walking into the transport and dragging a indescisive Allen behind her.

--------

Once Allen and Shane were changed, the small group left for the city and reached a sector called Urban A District. The brown-haired man looked around to see U-TIC soldiers walking around with rifles in their hands. He shivered at the sight of them. "Things don't look very friendly here." Shion glanced back at him as they walked. "No surprise there. The Federation front line is only twenty kilometers away. Although, the fact that they haven't declared martial law yet must mean they're not too concerned."

"Why doesn't the Federation just attack?" he asked.

The brunette shook her head. "They can't. The Realian troops that compose the Federation's main force can't be used." Allen scratched the back of his head lightly. "...Why not?" She stopped walking and turned to him when he had stopped.

"Have you forgotten?" Shion asked. "The U-TIC Organization has the _ability_ to make Realians lose control. Though I don't think they've been able to expand to the whole star cluster."

The brown-haired man suddenly gasped in realization. "The Song of Nephilim!"

"Yes. On top of that, there are a lot of civilians here, as well as the Zohar. They can't just hit the city with interstellar weapons." Shane had watched them then looked up at the sky with a sigh.

--------

In the next area, the group saw a large building off to the distance that spiked into what looked like horns at the top. They continued to walk until they reached an open area of a building outfitted with a fountain in the center, flowers placed near the building...and soldiers fully armed. Shane bit her lip at the sight of them. _Geez, they're not kidding_, she thought to herself as she followed after Allen and Shion who were walking to the front door. The security guard at the door stopped them, holding up his hand.

"ID, please," he ordered. The brunette handed her connection gear to the man as he checked the coding. He looked up at the three then back down at the code. "...Wait a minute. You're with the 34th Special Transport Team? There was a report that your team was attacked and destroyed."

Allen held up his hands, waving them. "Ah, um, yeah, we got lucky and passed out," he said. "So we escaped danger."

The guard nodded. "Glad to hear it. So, what happened to the cargo?"

"...The cargo?" Shion echoed. Behind her, the dark-haired girl held her face. "The Realians."

"They were all destroyed," Shane said folding her arms over her chest. The security guard nodded as he looked at them. "I hope that doesn't delay the project. A connection experiment using the test subject is going to begin soon. You should hurry. Supervisor Uzuki isn't going to be happy if you keep Professor Mizrahi waiting. Professor Mizrahi's on the fourth floor." The three nodded and walked inside only to be stopped by the gate.

"_**Use of chemicals that may cause an explosion in prohibited in this facility**_."

_Oh_, the brunette thought. _I guess we shouldn't use traps. _Allen looked around as they walked past the stopping gate, placing his hands on his hips. "Say Chief...isn't this the hospital we saw when we dove into KOS-MOS's encephalon?"

The dark-haired girl narrowed her eyes before biting her lip. "It looks to heavily guarded for a hospital. Why would a hospital need guards 24/7?"

"...No."

"What?" Shane and Allen turned their heads to Shion who had a look of realization on her face. "...This is no hospital," the woman said walking over to the two. "When I was a child, I thought it was a hospital...but this is a holding ward for the test subjects that are necessary for their 'project'." She walked over to the security guard who stood near an elevator. He raised his hand before saying, "Stop. Ahead is Labyrinthos. You can't pass without a dedicated ID."

She narrowed her eyes darkly. "I knew it," she muttered. "This facility is part of Labyrinthos."

The guard blinked behind his mask at Shion. "What?" Allen walked over and took out his connection gear, handing it to the guard. "Ah, um, here's my ID." The man took the gear then looked over it as he shook his head. "No, your ID doesn't permit you to pass through here," he said handing it back to the brown-haired man. "Return to your work."

--------

"That was a dumbass move," Shane muttered. She stood behind Shion and Allen with her arms crossed; a light frown on her face inside of the elevator. "Goin' over there to the entrance...." The brunette turned her head to the girl. "Dumb move it may have been, but now I'm certain." The dark-haired girl shrugged, placing her arms behind her back. The three felt the elevator come to a stop as the doors opened gently with a hiss.

"**4th floor: Central Management**," the intercom said above them. They walked out of the elevator; Shane looking around at the intricate designs they made of the building. Allen had to tug the girl along who had begun to stare at the blue lighting above them.

Once they walked into the room, the two "adults" gasped at the white-haired man wearing a green suit. His features were aged but not that much; his hairline receeding somewhat. He looked over at the three as a sour look came across his face. "You three!" he exclaimed making them jump slightly. The old man walked over to them. "What are you standing around for?! Upload the test subjects' personal patterns to central."

"What? Jo-Joachim Mizrahi?" Shion stammered.

Joachim narrowed his eyes at the brunette. "Didn't you hear me? I told you to upload the test subjects' personal patterns." She squeaked lightly and nodded, running over to a computer terminal near a larger computer. "Oh, yes, sir! Let's see, the test subjects' personal data—"

"Hurry!" the old man shouted. _God, someone needs to lower their fiber..._ The black-haired girl used the computer, looking at the screen as she typed hurriedly. "Yes, sir! Currently cleared through list 177. List 281. Fifteen left until upload is complete." He looked to the three of them before narrowing his eyes to mere slits. "...Were you just assigned here?"

Shion nodded, turning to him. "Y-yes, sir." Joachim closed his eyes as he scratched at the light stubble on his chin. "I see. I'd heard I was getting new assistants. How's list 281?"

"Yes, sir, list 281…" The brunette trailed off when she read over the screen. "...This is a list of patients in the hospital."

"Is it done yet?!" the old man yelled impatiently. She yelped lightly then turned to him with a nervous look. "Oh, l-list 281, clear! Upload complete." Shane moved a loose strand of hair from her face, stepping towards the white-haired old man. "Sir...what are these test subjects?"

He looked to the dark-haired girl. "This is the data from test subjects capable of linking with Vessels of Anima. We're going to control their fear and perform a Zohar connection experiment. Weren't you informed?"

"No, I'm sorry," she said bowing slightly. Shion turned back to the computer while Allen read over the screen only to gasp lightly. "Chief, look, Vessels of Anima!" She turned her head as she looked over the screen as well. "Yes...but why here?"

"I have no idea," the brown-haired man said. "And what does he mean by "linking" people to Vessels of Anima?"

The brunette woman pointed at another screen. "Look at this. It's the Zohar." Allen glanced at Shion, nodding. "You're right."

"Looking at this, it appears the Vessels of Anima serve as a mediator to approach the Zohar."

"I thought they were the power reactors for the E.S.s," Shane said nearly startling the two adults. They figured she would have wandered off since she was being so quiet. "Well?"

"..Actually they're transmitters--no, more like _translators_. Their power is the byproduct of acting as mediators between people and the Zohar. They were calibrated here, and what we were using was the finished product. But this data…I wonder why they needed to relay it through Realians."

"He said something about controlling fear," Allen replied. "Maybe that's related."

"Hmm. I wonder..." As Shion thought about Joachim's words, the dark-haired girl looked over the screen with the test subject's names. She blinked a few times before grabbing onto the brown-haired man's hair and jerking her hand back to pull the older man's hair. Allen yelped softly. "Shane, what are you--?!" He saw the girl point to a woman's picture only to have his green eyes widen considerably.

"Ch-chief. Look."

The brunette turned around then looked at the list that both Shane and Allen pointed at as she gasped. One name stood out than the rest: Aoi Uzuki*. "Mom's name...Why is she on the list of test subjects?!"

"You there!" The three jumped from the old man's high-strung voice as they turned to them slowly. Shion had to fix her glasses since she was so flustered. "Y-yes, sir?"

"Go fetch my assistant, Kevin Winnicot," Joachim ordered. "I want to know Febronia's condition." A puzzled look came over the woman's face. _Kevin Winnicot?_ she thought to herself. "Does he mean our Kevin?!" Allen looked at Shion, concerned.

"What's the matter? _Hurry up_."

Shion squeaked softly before nodding as she pulled Allen and Shane along. "Oh! Yes, sir!" Walking out of the room with the aggrivated Joachim, the door slid closed behind them. The dark-haired girl wriggled out of the brunette's grasp then fixed her clothes. "Couldn't you have been more discreet, Uzuki-chan?" She glanced at the woman who had a confused look on her face.

"What is going on?" Allen asked Shion. "This is the first I've ever heard of Kevin being here. I wonder if it's someone with the same name."

Shane folded her arms across her chest, listening to them. "This is the first I've heard of it, too. Kevin didn't tell me what he did before he joined Vector. But his Hilbert Effect theory and his knowledge of Realian architecture…make sense if he was Professor Mizrahi's assistant." The dark-haired girl wanted to ask them a question but kept quiet once they went into the assistant's room.

"How dare you barge in here without knocking!" a familiar voice yelled out. The blue-haired boy from before turned to them from the terminal he was standing in front off; shocked looks coming over the three friend's faces. "You-you're—"

He raised an eyebrow at the brunette. "Hmm? Have we met before?"

Shion shook her head slowly. "N-no," she answered before composing herself. "Um, are you Mr. Winnicot?" The blue-haired young man nodded as he folded his arms. "What, is my name that unusual?"

"Professor Mizrahi is calling you. He wants you to report on Febronia's condition," Shane told him pointing at the door with her thumb. Young Kevin moved some of his hair from his face before looking at the clock on the terminal. "Oh, it's already that time? Understood. I'll get things ready. Tell him I'll be right up." The three watched him leave the room.

"That boy is Kevin?" Shion asked aloud.

Allen nodded, placing a hand to his chin. "His face looks similar, but he doesn't have the same temperament." The brunette frowned gently. "Yes, but I'm pretty sure it's him. That's Kevin. So he was involved with U-TIC."

"You know," the dark-haired girl said, "if you keep frowning, you'll get wrinkles." She snickered when she heard the brunette woman gasp in shock. The brown-haired man sighed as he held his face. _Good grief..._ He moved his hand away and looked at the computer. He blinked a few times, walking over to it.

"How could you say something like that, Shane?! I'm older than you are!"

"..Chief..."

The dark-haired girl smirked smugly at a pouting Shion. "Yeah, but I beat you by...oh, say _4,000 years_."

"Chief, _Chief!_" Allen exclaimed catching the girls' attention. "What?" He was pointing at the computer screen with a shocked, if not, surprised look on his face. "Look at this!" Shion walked over to the computer console as she looked at the screen. The screen had the outline of a female body along with other complicated things. "_Outline of the managing OS for a weapon system to combat the Gnosis phenomenon. The effectiveness of a human-modeled weapon for Gnosis combat._" The brunette bit her lip and continued to read. "_Basic theory of a strategically multiple-operation system that obeys the rules of order...?_ Hey, this is KOS-MOS's basic theory...!"

"It sure is. He must have already been working on the basic design back then," the brown-haired man said as Shion took out her connection gear. "It really _is_ Kevin!" He watched the woman type at the console then yelped in surprise. "_Chief, what are you doing?!_"

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What else? Taking a backup," she answered truthfully before going back to copying the data. "**What?!** _Here?!_ That's crazy!" Shion covered his mouth with her hand and shushed him before he could get any louder.

"Look...I know it's risky, but with this, we may be able to reboot KOS-MOS. Sorry, could you and Shane distract him until I'm done? Please?"

"I got this, Allen," the dark-haired girl said placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "You stay back like a good stalker and watch how a lady distracts." He blinked at Shane's words as she walked over to the door once Young Kevin came out. _...Did she call me a stalker?_ The blue-haired young man looked down at the girl's face, raising an eyebrow. "..You're still here?" The smile on her face rose concern inside him. But...

She seemed like a really sweet girl.

"Um, actually, there's something I'd like to ask you." She played with a bit of her black hair, giggling gently. He flushed darkly before clearing his throat. "...What? The connection experiment is about to begin. Can't you wait until later?" he asked.

"It won't take long. It's about the effectiveness of mental stabilization in regards to Realians. See, I'm researching the topic on them because I'm really intrested on how Realians work." She bit her lip. _Shion...hurry your ass up!_ Shane thought to herself._ I can't keep your future lover much longer._

"...Would you stop bothering me? I'm in a hurry," he told the black-haired girl as he fought of the blush that tried to come to the surface. "Please leave my room at once."

"You have really _pretty_ eyes, Winnicot-_sama_."

He couldn't keep it closed off for long. Young Kevin blushed darkly at the girl's words, much to his dismay and shock.

The brunette-haired woman finished copying the back-up data from the computer and walked over to the two. "Uh, um, we're sorry for disturbing you! Come on, Shane, let's _go!_"

"...What?" She glanced at the woman before blinking. "**Oh**, right!" The three walked out of the room as the door hissed closed behind them. The dark-haired girl literally gagged, coughing. "_I can't believe I just did that...!_" Shion frowned lightly at Shane while Allen held his face, shaking his head.

"Well, seems like we fooled them. Thank you, Shane, for your hard work," she told the teen who gave her a thumbs-up in response. "I don't think my Dad's on this floor. Let's return to Professor Mizrahi for now."

***~ **_**Part 2: End**_** ~***

--------

**A/N**: Well, that was part two. Sorry that it's in separate forms and not one big chapter. Anyway, thanks for reading! R&R!


	23. Thrown Back Into Time, Part 4,3

**Chapter Nineteen: Thrown Back Into Time, Part 4 - Discord 3-**

_"Well, seems like we fooled them. Thank you, Shane, for your hard work," she told the teen who gave her a thumbs-up in response. "I don't think my Dad's on this floor. Let's return to Professor Mizrahi for now."_

Returning to Joachim Mizrahi's room, the three walked inside as the old man looked at them from his computer. "Oh, it's you three." He looked at them before narrowing his eyes. "Where's Winnicot?"

"He said he'll be here soon," Shion said with a slight bow.

"I see. Thanks. If you would, please deliver that data to the test subject management wing on the fifth floor."

--------

After the small group had left Joachim's room and boarded the elevator, Shion felt the pendant on her chest before closing her eyes gently. Shane glanced at the brunette then looked off to the side as she yawned. Allen gave a small yelp when the elevator stopped at its destination. A ding was heard and the doors slid open.

"_5th floor: Acute Neurosis Special Treatment Area_," the female voice said from the intercom above them.

They walked out of the elevator and towards a large archway. Shion walked to the door only to have a buzzing noise startle her.

"What is it?" a security guard asked walking over after hearing the noise.

"Um, the door won't open."

He scoffed lightly, shaking his head. "Of course not. The area past here is restricted. You can't enter without permission." Shion showed the guard the file in her hand. "We were told to deliver this data to the test subject management wing."

"ID, please," the guard ordered. The brunette nodded and showed the ID from her connection gear. He looked it over before looking at her. "Confirmed. I'll release the lock. Hurry through." The security door opened. Allen glanced over at the computer monitor nearby. He tapped Shion's shoulder who looked at him.

"Chief, look!" he whispered motioning at the screen. She looked at the screen before gasping as well. The dark-haired girl watched them as they moved over to the computer monitor. The guard from before raised an eyebrow. "What is it now?"

Shion looked at him then pointed at the screen. "What's that image?" she asked. "Hmm?" He looked at the screen, turning his head back at the second guard. "Hey, what's that display showing?"

"That's the surveillance camera for the isolated underground research wing," the other guard said. "What about it?" Shion shook her head lightly. "Oh, nothing. It just caught my eye, that's all." The first guard scoffed at the woman. "That place isn't something you need to worry about. Just get back to your posts!"

The brunette yelped lightly as she bowed to the man. "I'm sorry." The small group moved away from the computer area, Shane glaring at the guards. Allen turned to the brunette woman. "Chief, that was a Vessel of Anima," he whispered.

She nodded in response. "Yes, there's no mistaking it. They're conducting experiments here to connect Vessels of Anima and the Zohar."

They walked through the security door and down the hall towards the room Joachim ordered them to go. On their way, the dark-haired girl stopped walking as she stood in front of a computer terminal. "Hey, you two." Shion and Allen looked back then walked back over to Shane. "Look at this. It's a list of test subjects."

The list read: '_Test subject Tethlla Magus T.C. 4749: detected possible test subject quality for connection experiment during the disturbance at Dabrye Mine. Immediately sent to this facility. Public records state that he had been killed in an accident during the disturbance. Performed drug experimentation for six months, but although his link affinity to Realians were high compared to other test subjects, abnormalities in the pulse of the frontal lobe and the tectum appeared during a connection experiment, which resulted in his death six minutes later. It is believed he was unable to resist the fear against U-DO.'_

"Tethlla Magus….the old man's son and Mai's father." The brunette man gasped while Shane narrowed her eyes.

Shion covered her mouth in shock, shaking her head. "Oh my god," she murmured. _I can't believe this. What should I tell Mai? _

_***~ Chapter 19, part 3: End ~***_

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**A/N**: Sorry for the long wait. Sorry! ^^;

**Teaser for Chapter 20**:  
_"Yes, they're both looking forward to seeing you again. What are you going to pray for?"_


	24. Thrown Back Into Time, Part 5

**Author's Notes**: Forgive me for the lack of updates. I've been really busy with RL: working with online college classes, looking for a job, and dealing with family. I would like to say that writer's block did have some hand in me not writing as much.

There will be updates for this month and next month for all of the stories I have written here. Maybe a new addition as well...maybe.

Thanks for staying with the fanfictions and see you soon. You know I love reviews. ~ASM

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One: Thrown Back Into Time, Part 5 - Falling Into Place -**

"Losing control off Realians is an ingenious plan. A Trojan horse, planted by their leader. It's an amusing scenario, though not a particularly flashy one."

In some lower parts of Labryinthos, a younger looking Margulis stood in the overly large room where Omega was housed. He had U-TIC soldiers with him who stood silently and waiting for orders given to them by their commander. Near the tall man was Sellers, a small cruel smile on his face.

"It was Winnicot's idea to make Mizrahi into a scapegoat," he said in an amused voice. "He's quite the tactician for his age." He looked over at the familiar casket capsules where Cecily and Cathe were placed; their dismembered bodies hidden somewhat by the fog on the inside of the capsule.

The burgandy-haired man looked to Sellers, a frown on his face. "Did you hear that the transport carrying calibrated Realians was attacked by the Federation?"

The round man waved off what Margulis said then placed his hands behind his back. "Oh, we just lost a few Realian units. It won't affect the project. Although...I am concerned about the Federation's next move."

"We know all the details of their descent operation," the commander said in his usual gruff voice. "We'll be able to buy time until our VIPs are able to retreat."

Sellers chuckled softly. "Good." The two looked up at the large machine that was Omega before Margulis looked to the other man. "So, have you deciphered the Y-Data?"

He shook his head slowly with a sigh. "No. I've found some file fragments, but he won't tell us a thing about it. I've got Winnicot trying to get some information from him, but who knows how it'll go."

"As long as the Zohar activation succeeds," the man said with a smirk, "we can deal with the rest later."

The burgandy-haired man chuckled softly as Sellers looked at him with a similar smirk. "What's the plan?"

Margulis placed his hand on his sword kept at his side, glancing at the man. "We'll pick you and the others up along with the Zohar."

The other man scoffed softly. "I won't hold my breath. If it comes down to it, I can lift the whole Song of Nephilim into space," he said before leaving the room and the soldier to his own devices.

* * *

Back at the church in the forest, Febronia had handed the recuperating Virgil his lunch as he ate quietly. He soon finished the soup and placed the tray on the table. The silver-haired woman looked at him then smiled warmly. "Oh, good, you ate it. Did you like it?" she asked. He looked down at his hands silently. "You look like you'll be well enough to go outside soon."

The blond man glanced at the woman before looking around slowly. "...That kid's not here today?" he asked Febronia.

The silver-haired woman looked at him. "Shion? She went to pick flowers."

"Oh." He nodded then looked down at his hands. "You mind if I ask you something?" She nodded gently. "I'll do my best to answer," she said.

Virgil frowned, gripping his peach-colored blanket tightly. "...Why did you save me? I'm your enemy," he told her. Febronia let a small frown come onto her round face as she sighed gently.

"I guess you are, but that has nothing to do with me. I just wanted to save you. I didn't care about anything else."

The silver-haired woman watched him shake his head. "...That doesn't make sense. I came to this planet to dispose of you Realians." He looked at her with a worried glance. "You could be _executed_ for saving me."

"All that mattered to me was saving you," she said sincerely.

Virgil held his head in his hands and let out a soft sigh, shaking his head yet again. "I don't...understand at all."

"Is it really that strange to want to save someone's life?"

The blond man frowned darkly. "I've been ordered to kill Realians," he said. 'To be a soldier, orders are absolute."

The Realian smiled at him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing more important than life. Isn't that true for both soldiers and Realians? I want you to live. And because of it, we are here, together." He didn't say anything but looked down at the blanket again. "Why don't you get some sleep? You need to regain your strength."

He frowned, looking at her. "Don't tell me what to do."

"Okay." Febronia smiled at him as he laid back down; his back to her. "...The food was delicious."

"I'm glad you liked it," she told him. The silver-haired woman picked up the tray and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her gently.

* * *

At the Labyrinthos building, Young Shion took out seeds from a bag she had on her person and planted them into the soft soil of her garden. She hummed to herself; a small smile on her face.

"Well! I'm impressed they can grow in a place like this," a familiar voice said. The little girl turned around to see Young Kevin standing behind her. He had a smug look on his face as he looked at the small garden. "Guess they haven't died yet."

The brown-haired girl stood up with a pout on her face, gripping her small hands into fists. "No, they won't die! I water them every single day, and give them fertilizer."

"Oh, I see." He shrugged lightly and sat down on a nearby bench. "Well, there's no guarantee that they won't die in the future. I don't understand it. Why did you want to plant them here?" The blue-haired boy pointed to the back of the building. "You could have planted them in the flower bed in the rear garden."

Young Shion shook her head then pointed up to a room on the 5th floor. "Because. That's too far away from Mom's room," she said. "This is closer to her room, and that way Daddy can see them, too."

He sighed gently. "I can't really see Supervisor Uzuki having any interest in flowers." He saw the little girl's confusion at his words, so he continued. "Listen, you need to understand how the world works. For humans to live we have to conquer, and destroy, and eat other organisms. That's the most basic function of an organic being. I'm sorry, Shion, but there's no point to what you're doing."

"But, that's not true! When pretty flowers are in bloom, they make everyone feel happier. Even my Daddy!"

"I wouldn't bet on that," Young Kevin said matter of factly. She pouted at him. "Even Feb said so! And that's why I planted them here."

The blue-haired boy made a sound of puzzlement then shrugged again. "I don't get it, but if you say so." Frowning, Young Shion went back to planting more of the seeds in the soil. She huffed softly then stood up, dusting the dirt off her knees and dress. She walked over to the young man. "_Hey!_"

He looked at her as she placed her hands on her hips. "If you're going to just sit there, then give me a hand." She pointed to blooming flowers near the middle of the garden. "Water those flowers over there!"

"What? Wh-why should I have to do that?" Young Kevin asked confused. He blinked when the little girl put a green water pitcher in front of him with a Bunnie design on the front.

"Because! You aren't doing anything. Stop complaining and help!" She pushed the pitcher in his face. "Go on, do it!"

He held up his hands to catch the pitcher with his palms. "Hey, quit it!" The blue-haired boy yelped when he was knocked down from the bench as the water pitcher landed smack dab onto his face; water drenching his shirt and face. Young Kevin coughed, sitting up.

"Ehh! Ahh! That's cold!" He glared at the laughing girl. "This is all _your_ fault!"

Young Shion pointed at him, giggling. "You're all wet!" She continued to laugh as he stood up, grabbing the water pitcher--which still had some water left in it. _This just isn't my day... _He moved some of his wet bangs from his face then looked to the little girl. "Well, what do you want me to do?"

"Water the flowers there," she told him pointing to the other flowers. "Oh, and this one, too." He nodded and did what she said, albeit differently. She yelped when he poured the water straight on the flowers. "Not like that! You have to be more careful! Otherwise you'll hurt them!"

"How could I hurt them? They're just flowers," Young Kevin said with a frown. The little girl snatched the pitcher from him. "No, here. Give it to me. I'll show you how." She poured water around the flowers while the young man watched with a frown.

"Shion!" Young Shion turned around to see Suou standing near the doors as she smiled. "Coming!" She handed the water pitcher back to the blue-haired boy. "Here, make sure you water them, okay."

"What? But, hey!" he said watching the little girl run over to her father. He frowned slightly then sighed. "...Fine, whatever." With a pout on his face, Young Kevin began to water the flowers as the little girl instructed him to.

**Chapter 21: **_**End**_

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R&R~ ;3 If you have any questions regarding to the fanfic, email me or PM me, ok?

**Teaser for Chapter 22**:

_Jr. folded his arms. "Well, how 'bout it?"_

_"Is it possible to fix KOS-MOS?" Shion asked in a concerned voice. The Professor turned to them with a serious look on his face. He took in a deep breath before shrugging with a sigh. "Beats me!"_


	25. Thrown Back Into Time, Part 6

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Thrown Back Into Place, Part 6 - Her Will -**

Inside the maintenance room where KOS-MOS was placed after her battle with T-elos, the others (save for MOMO, Jin, chaos, and Shane) watched the Professor and Scott examine the status of their beloved combat android. The blond-haired young man looked at a screen opposite of him to the blue-haired android's layout in awe. "Wow, so this is KOS-MOS's basic theory?" he asked aloud.

The old man chuckled softly, looking at the screen as well. "Hmm. These are some excellent calculations."

Jr. folded his arms. "Well, how 'bout it?"

"Is it possible to fix KOS-MOS?" Shion asked in a concerned voice. The Professor turned to them with a serious look on his face. He took in a deep breath before shrugging with a sigh. "Beats me!"

Everyone caught themselves from falling to the floor as Allen looked at him confused. "What?"

The old man walked over to KOS-MOS's maintenance bed, turning to the group. "With this data you brought back and the newly designed body," he said, "it _is_ possible to restore her to her original form."

"Then—" The brunette's eyes lit up. The Professor held up his hand, shaking his head. "But even so…there's still too many parts we don't understand. Even if the repairs are perfect, we don't know if she'll reboot or not."

"She's completely different from Erde Kaiser, the field in which we specialize," Scott said to them. The old man scoffed at the maintenance bed and walked back to where the blond-haired young man stood near a computer console. "Indeed. This thing doesn't even transform, much less combine."

A shocked look came over Allen's face which turned into a look of complete confusion. "What the...?! That's not the problem!"

The Professor looked to the brown-haired man with a gleam in his eye. He narrowed his eyes to mere slits at him. "Did you say something?" he asked suspiciously.

Allen stammered over his words, rubbing his head. "Oh, uh, n-nothing..."

The old man turned to the group. "Anyway, we'll do what we can. After all, I don't get many chances to play around with this baby." He looked to the maintenance bed, chuckling softly. Scott nodded then held up his fist in the air. "Yeah!" He began to laugh with the old man as the brown-haired man looked to Shion worriedly.

"Chief, are you sure about this?" he asked. "If we leave it up to them, they may make things even worse."

"Hey, I heard that, you!" Allen yelped lightly. The Professor placed his hands on his hips. "When it comes to robotics, I don't make mistakes! Sit back and leave it to _me!_" He looked at the group who stared back with strange looks on their faces. "Now, all you people here are in the way! Get out! Shoo!"

The blond-haired young man smiled at them. "Why don't you try out the latest game in the lounge?" he asked. "We modified it a little, so I think you'll enjoy it."

"Really? Well, I guess it might be nice to relax a little," Jr. said as he turned to Shion. "Let's check it out, Shion."

"Sounds good," Allen said with a smile. "I'll go with you, too." He started to walk over to the group before the Professor cleared his throat loudly. "Wait. You stay here, Assistant #2."

The brown-haired man looked confused. "...Huh?"

"What did you expect?!" the old man exclaimed. "You're my temporary assistant! Don't tell me you're already planning on taking a break!"

Allen stammered to say something but sighed in defeat. There wasn't any chance that the Professor would change his mind. Scott walked over and patted his shoulder, grinning widely. "Right, then! Let's get to it, Allen!" The other man groaned in response.

* * *

Outside of the maintenance room, Shion stretched; popping her back in the process. She placed a hand against her chin, looking up at the ceiling. _Well, it may not be a bad idea to just relax and play a game_, she thought. _I think I'll go to the lounge. Oh, the online store may be updated. I should probably check there first...but before all that..._

The brunette walked out of the ship and towards the Dabrye Mine. Mai stood outside her grandfather's house then looked up to see Shion walking over. She ran over to her, smiling lightly. "Oh, it's you. Did you learn anything about my father?" she asked hopefully.

A grim look came over Shion's face as Mai blinked at her look. She lowered her eyes to the ground, stepping back.

"..Even without hearing your answer, I can tell by looking at your face. I thought as much," the dark-haired girl said. She looked up again and smiling. Tears were streaming down her face. "I'll be all right! I feel as if a weight's been taken off my shoulders! Actually, I think I can live even more positively than before. Thank you for telling me the truth. I'll carry on my father's will. Together with my grandfather, we'll restore this mine to its former glory! Here's my thanks! Please, take it!"

Mai reached into her pocket and took out a small device, handing it to Shion. The brunette looked to the device to see it was one of the many decoders the group usually found. She held it in her hand. "Thank you, Mai. I hope everything goes well for you."

_**Chapter 22, part 6: End**_

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Sorry for the lack of updates. I think I lost my groove or something. *shrug* Anyway, R&R~

**Teaser for Chapter 23**:

_"It's just like the room back in your world," the red-head girl said. She watched Shane sit up with a tired look on her face as she sighed, laying back down._

_"I know. Twice already, Matthews has chewed me out because I don't keep my room clean."_


End file.
